


For Home and Heart

by fingerprintbruises



Category: Merlin (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Barebacking, M/M, Mild Gore, Minor Character Death, Spy - Freeform, Violence
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-07-09
Updated: 2013-07-09
Packaged: 2017-12-18 04:34:15
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 27,239
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/875684
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/fingerprintbruises/pseuds/fingerprintbruises
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Arthur James never thought he’d meet someone who would make him want to leave Her Majesty’s Secret Service.</p><p>written for the <a href="http://merlin-games.livejournal.com/">2012 Merlin Games</a></p>
            </blockquote>





	For Home and Heart

**Author's Note:**

> Written for [merlin_games](http://merlin-games.livejournal.com/); this is a late repost (edited a _slight_ bit from the original posting). A humongous thanks to my beta [catjetrat](http://catjetrat.livejournal.com/)! Any and all mistakes are mine. I tried to make this as James Bond as possible, but I might have strayed from the mark a bit.
> 
> A big thanks to [Rou](http://brolinskeep.tumblr.com) for the wonderful [manip](http://brolinskeep.tumblr.com/post/22222950179/for-home-and-heart-by-bend-me-baby-pairing-s)!

 

  
  
  
  
  
*  
  
  
There was always a certain thrill that wracked his body when his fingers brushed the cold metal of a gun. A gun wasn’t just a weapon; it was an extension of his body. It was another limb that he learned to exercise to perform his precise needs and movements. His fingers knew every groove and curve of the guns he wielded. Guns were only as dangerous as the person who held it (or someone who was too curious for their own good), and with a gun in Arthur James’ hand, he was a force to be reckoned with and practically unbeatable. His skills were flawless, his aim impeccable, but both of these were easily thwarted by magic.  
  
“Damn it, Morgana! Take their shields out now!” Arthur yelled as he ducked behind a car.  
  
Magical shields all held different abilities. The weaker ones made you see something that wasn’t there and only deflected the bullets or projectiles. The stronger ones didn’t need the distraction, they could stop anything from passing through; they were strong enough to dissolve and break any bullets that hit it. The good thing about shields was that they allowed for bullets coming from the sorcerer’s side to escape. The one they were up against was the former, fortunately, showing that the sorcerer on the other side wasn’t too powerful, but good enough to hold up a large shield.  
  
“What do you think I’m trying to do?!” Morgana snapped back from the next car over as her concentration broke. Her eyelids fluttered shut for a brief moment before they slowly opened. Green eyes burned a vibrant yellow as she spoke words of an old language few fully understood.  
  
Civilians were screaming and running in different directions as gunshots went off in the street.  
  
They were outside of a train station in Beirut for an extraction. Two high security MI5 agents were taken hostage not three days ago in Turkey and their contacts told Arthur where the enemy’s destination was. From there it only took an hour or two of seduction on Morgana’s part (information Arthur found out about when she randomly popped up out of nowhere like usual) for someone to spill the beans and tell exactly where their allies could be found. Unfortunately, it didn’t take long before one of the many terrorists guarding the agents to spot them; Arthur tended to stick out in the Middle East, even in touristic cities like Beirut, and glamours only worked for so long.  
  
When Morgana stopped speaking, Arthur felt a flux of power ripple across the concrete. There was a brief silence, guns stopped firing at the two of them, and angry shouts could be heard. Arthur took this as his chance.  
  
With one knee on the ground, Arthur raised his arms above the hood of the car he was hiding behind and aimed at the building of the train station. Six men were waiting and trying their best to find where Arthur and Morgana were hiding.  
  
Three of the terrorists used the two hostages as human shields just inside the doors of the building. There was no awareness in the hostages’ eyes; they had been put under a potion that made them compliant to practically every demand. They had no idea what was going on around them, the dark magic assured that.  
  
The other three opponents were spread out across the sidewalk. Two peeked out from cars and one hid behind a trashcan. Arthur couldn’t tell which one, or ones, was the sorcerer.  
  
He shot down the man behind the trashcan quickly, thinking how poor a choice his cover was.  
  
“Move the red and white car,” Arthur called over to Morgana as he ducked back down.  
  
He watched her mouth as she spoke and the moment her lips stopped moving, Arthur popped back up above the hood of the car. With two perfectly aimed shots, he knocked out the two terrorists who were caught off guard and confused when the cars they were hiding behind lifted into the air.  
  
“Their shield’s back up!” Morgana yelled as she dropped the cars and gunfire rained down on them. She could feel a wall of magic separating them in the middle of the street.  
  
Suddenly, the cars they were hiding behind were pushed back towards them, knocking them over. It was only Morgana’s quick thinking that stopped the cars from squishing them and instead threw them across the street toward their opponents. The cars flew over the stalled ones in the street, and over the sidewalk. They crashed into the building, smashing windows and walls, but thankfully, the cars were directed to the sides of where their targets were standing.  
  
Arthur grimaced. “I thought we were going to cause as little damage as possible today,” he said calmly to Morgana as they ran across the street, closing in on their enemies, who had fallen to the ground with their ally agents sprawled before them like ragdolls.  
  
Morgana scoffed before speaking a spell and yanking the guns in the enemy’s hands toward them. “They almost killed us by throwing cars at us,” Morgana replied contemptuously. With a swipe of her hand and one spoken word, the guns broke in half.  
  
The man in the middle of the three made to stand up, his hand raised as if to fire off a spell, but Arthur quickly shot him in the head, dropping him back to the ground. The other two went to reach for another weapon on their person, but Morgana took care of them by pushing them backward over the debris. They were knocked unconscious as soon as their skulls crashed against the ground.  
  
Morgana scathingly asked, “Was it really necessary to kill him?” She gestured at the sorcerer whose blood was still seeping out of his head.  
  
Arthur sighed as he bent down and felt for a pulse on the two agents. “If you had knocked him out first, I wouldn’t have had to, now would I?” He noticed that she didn’t care about the men with the guns, just the sorcerer, but she had always been like that. Arthur didn’t like to take chances, a conscious person with a gun in their hand was just as dangerous as a sorcerer at close range, and Arthur had a mission to complete.  
  
After feeling the slow beats in each of the agent’s necks, Arthur kept skin to skin contact with both of them and commandingly said, “Stand, follow us, and keep up.”  
  
He let go as soon as the two men started to get up and turned to Morgana. “They’re still heavily under the sceadu potion; we need to get out of here as fast as possible before the police arrive.”  
  
Morgana glanced around and saw the street practically devoid of people, but sirens could be heard in the distance. She nodded down the street where a driver’s door was left open. Arthur spotted the black BMW sedan and nodded to her in agreement.  
  
The two of them ran to the car with the other two agents on their heels. With a command from Morgana, all four of them end up in the car with Arthur at the wheel. Their escape to the private airport was only too easy.  
  
*  
  
“À demain,” Merlin said to his coworker Zoé, who was collecting drinking glasses outside. She returned the sentiment. He smiled, relieved that he didn’t have to work the night shift that day and walked away from the café.  
  
It was the end of spring, and a chill was settling in as the sun began to set. There weren’t too many people hanging around the streets, due to it being Tuesday, but Merlin could still easily point out the tourists that had cameras hanging off their wrists and hearts in their eyes. Paris had that effect on foreigners, but Merlin had been living there for almost three years and the bright lights that shone, blinding the outside world, didn’t extend to those that lived there. To Merlin, Paris, yes, was wonderful and exciting, but after the excitement wore off and the lights went out, it was just another city filled with people who wanted to make their way through life.  
  
Merlin tugged his jacket tighter around his chest and kept a brisk pace down the street, heading back home to his flat. He was halfway there when he heard a series of pops. Gunshots.  
  
He looked around and saw people on the street stop and glance around before shrugging the noise off the continuing on their way. Merlin, on the other hand, stared down the alleyway to his left, knowing he heard the sound coming from that direction.  
  
It was a bad idea. His mother would smack him about the head before giving him the silent treatment, Uncle Gaius would give him the eyebrow before thoroughly scolding him, and Will would most likely look give Merlin a look like he was a bit dim before yelling at him for being so stupid.  
  
But Merlin did it anyway.  
  
With a quick look around, Merlin ducked his head and cautiously jogged down the darkened alley. He slowed when he heard voices coming from around the corner of a perpendicular alley.  
  
With his heart hammering in his chest, Merlin pressed his back up against the wall and shuffled as quietly as possible to the corner. He took a deep breath before sneaking a look at what was going on.  
  
Immediately Merlin knew that magic was involved.  
  
A man was pinned a couple feet above the ground where a black gun lay, against the opposite side of the alley; his limbs were stretched out and his head was tilted back against the bricks. He was struggling against something that was invisible, his back arching away from the wall. The man was blond, muscular, and covered in clothes that screamed high class, but were torn, disguising this.  
  
Standing before him, with their backs to Merlin, was a man and a woman. The blond woman stood between the two men with her arm stretched out before her. Her hair was in long messy waves across the back of her maroon coat. The man stood behind her with a leather jacket and a gun in hand. His hair was dark and long enough to be pulled into a tiny ponytail at the top of his neck.  
  
“I don’t think you fully understand what I’m saying,” the woman said with a Russian accent before pulling her arm back and thrusting it forward quickly. The man against the wall was brought slightly away from the wall, only to be thrown back against it with a gasp. He squeezed his eyes tight at the impact. “You will _never_ be able to catch me and you know it. So go back home like a good little boy and tell your friends to _back off_.”  
  
“Like hell, bitch,” the blond man replied through gritted teeth with a sharp look in his eyes.  
  
The woman chuckled. “You know, I was advised not to kill you, but who says I can’t just tell them you accidently got hit by a stray bullet, or got knocked off the roof, or even got in a car accident. Something…messy. Something that would take a bit of cleaning because your blood would be all over the pavement. How does that sound?”  
  
Before he knew what he was doing, Merlin was stepping out from his hiding spot saying calmly, though his heart was racing, “Very disturbing actually.”  
  
Merlin knew that this was not his place. He wasn’t some vigilante or hero. But he knew that the situation was dire and Merlin had the power to stop it.  
  
The woman and the dark haired man’s heads whipped around and stared him down. Even the blond man did his best to try and look at him before spitting out, “What the fuck do y-” He was cut off when the woman, whose eyes were filled with gold, repeated her actions from earlier and the man tilted his head even further back, his body trying to arch away from the wall in pain.  
  
The sharp features of the woman spread out into a devilish smirk. “Really? How would you feel if it was your own blood?”  
  
Merlin shook his head. “Not any better, thanks. I really think you should let him go though.”  
  
“I don’t think so,” she replied before glancing at the man behind her and nodding toward Merlin. “Kill him.”  
  
Merlin took a deep breath, trying to calm his thumping heart, and reached within him, toward the magic that seeped through his blood and body. He watched as the man smirked and raised his arm, pointing his handgun at Merlin.  
  
Accessing his magic was as easy as breathing, always had been. Even though he studied spells, instinct always took over and created exactly what he needed without difficulty. His magic had never failed him, and he was pretty sure it wasn’t going to start now. Then again, he had never tried to stop a bullet before. Well. There was a first time for everything, wasn’t there?  
  
A wave of something warm and electrifying ran through his body. With a blink, Merlin was able to push that wave forward, quickly raising his arm, the built up energy flowed down it and out his fingertips just as he saw the man before him move his index finger to pull the trigger.  
  
One pop resonated through the air.  
  
What happened next, none of them had ever seen before.  
  
The bullet stopped still, inches before Merlin’s fingers. It didn’t deflect off a shield, it didn’t break into pieces, it just _stopped_. Nobody had seen anyone ever completely stop a bullet; it was nigh impossible to get the timing down just right. So that was why shields were used, they could be put up for long periods of time and be easily thrown up to cover large areas long before shots were fired.  
  
The three others stared at the floating bullet before staring at Merlin himself. His eyes were blazing a bright gold and quickly changed to their original blue color as he dropped his arm and the bullet along with it. The bullet, from the angle he stopped it at, would have gone straight through his head. It would have killed him instantly if his magic hadn’t worked. Merlin was never more thankful for it. Then again, he should have carried on his way like a normal person after first hearing the gun shots, but Merlin wasn’t normal.  
  
“Would you look at that,” the woman said slowly. Merlin shifted and lightly cleared his throat, uncomfortable with everyone staring at him. Even the man pinned to the wall was giving him a confused look.  
  
“Now could you let him go, please?” he asked, keeping his voice even and composed though his heart was almost bursting out of his chest.  
  
The woman paused, giving Merlin a speculative gaze. “What’s your name?” she asked instead.  
  
Merlin scoffed. “Like I’m telling you that.”  
  
“Smart,” she muttered before smirking. With her free hand she lifted the stray gun off the ground and floated it to Merlin. “I advise you hold onto this.” Merlin wordlessly held out his hands and watched as the gun dropped heavily into his palms. His eyes rounded with the weapon in his hands.  
  
She turned back to the man with a thin smile. “I better not be seeing you anytime soon, James,” she told him before letting him fall to the ground. James landed awkwardly on his feet and toppled over to the side.  
  
Immediately the pair ran off down the alley way and Merlin was left staring at the gun in his hands like it was a foreign object.  
  
“Is there something wrong with you?”  
  
Merlin’s eyes broke away from the gun to James who was easing himself up off the ground and breathing a bit heavier than normal. Now that the man was firmly on the ground and not in danger of getting killed, Merlin was able to get a better look at James. He was almost as tall as himself, but definitely broader across the shoulders, bigger practically everywhere actually. Mostly, Merlin saw that James was drop dead gorgeous, even with the look of distaste on his face. His blond hair was mussed, but made him look roguish all the same. His eyes were a clear light blue, his jaw was strong, and his lips were full. James’ nose was a little on the big side, but it seemed to fit in with the rest of his features.  
  
When Merlin didn’t reply James muttered while dusting himself off, “My God, there is something wrong with you.”  
  
That comment snapped Merlin back to what James was saying. He narrowed his eyes. “No, there’s nothing wrong with me,” he fired back. “There’s something _obviously_ wrong with you if you think it’s okay to cheese off a witch. You all right though?”  
  
James twisted his upper body with a groan, and cracked his neck from side to side. “I’m fine,” he grimaced.  
  
Merlin took half a step back as James walked up to him. James stopped when he noticed and raised an eyebrow. “You’re scared of me? Really? After you just stopped a bullet,” he mocked.  
  
Merlin shrugged. “You look like you’re about to rip my arms off.”  
  
James glowered and stuck out his hand. “My gun.”  
  
“As long as you don’t plan on shooting me with it.”  
  
James rolled his eyes. “Do I have to repeat myself about what you just did?”  
  
Merlin shook his head. “No, but I really don’t fancy having to try and stop a bullet again.” Then he muttered looking down at the gun, “Don’t know if it’d work a second time.”  
  
“Try and-? A second-? You mean you’ve never done that before?” James asked.  
  
Merlin looked up at James innocently and slowly shook his head.  
  
“You’re a bleeding idiot,” James grumbled to himself as he advanced forward, passing by Merlin and quickly snatching his gun from Merlin’s open hands.  
  
Instantly Merlin started trailing after him, following him in the direction Merlin had entered through. “Oi! Wait a minute! Who are you? Why aren’t you freaking out about the magic?” Merlin pestered, catching up to the blond and walking by his side.  
  
James didn’t answer, he just started toying with his gun, checking the clip and the barrel.  
  
“Come on, I just saved your life back there,” Merlin pointed out, fascinated with what James could be, but at the same time worried. Would he find out where Merlin lived later and kill him in his sleep? He was pretty set on killing the witch, what would spare Merlin? He didn’t fancy getting killed so young.  
  
James stopped walking once he neared the mouth of the alley and Merlin made an abrupt stop with him, watching as James tucked his gun in the back of him in the waistband of his trousers, underneath his dirty navy button-up shirt. James quickly turned to Merlin, “First off, I was never here, and you never saw what happened down there. Am I clear?”  
  
Merlin nodded hastily.  
  
“Secondly, I obviously knew about magic before all this happened and if you didn’t practically save me I might’ve killed you myself for doing something so reckless. Now is your curiosity satisfied or would you like to know the color of my pants as well?”  
  
Merlin scowled at him. “No, I could live without that information.” _Maybe_. “I was just-I wanted to know…I’ve never–”  
  
James rolled his eyes and started walking away again. “I don’t have time for your stupid questions. Go home.”  
  
Merlin followed him to the end of the alley. “Are you some government agent or something?” Merlin whispered loud enough for James to hear.  
  
“I think you’ve been watching too many films, lad,” James replied without looking at Merlin and took a right out of the alley.  
  
Merlin stopped on the sidewalk and bristled at being called _lad_. James couldn’t have any more than five years on him. James was a block away when Merlin realized that he had gotten distracted and didn’t follow him like he thought he should.  
  
“Wanker,” Merlin muttered to himself and stalked off in the opposite direction, hoping that he wouldn’t run into any other blond prats who thought they owned the world.  
  
*  
  
Arthur was no more than a couple blocks from where he left his jug-eared ‘rescuer’ when he spotted a familiar Audi parked on the street. He scanned the street before crossing it to the opposite side.  
  
He approached the black car and casually slipped into the passenger seat. As soon as he closed the door behind him the occupant said coolly, “So he found you, did he?”  
  
“You mean Dumbo? Yes, he found me,” he retorted and looked over to his sister. “Of course, you knew that would happen, didn’t you, Morgana?”  
  
Morgana gave him a knowing smile. “I saw him save you. I saw him stop a bullet. I think that was worth coming to pass.”  
  
“And what if he didn’t come? Morgause was going to kill me,” Arthur replied.  
  
“Don’t be so dramatic, I followed him to make sure he would find you. No one’s as fun to argue with as you are, and you’d be no fun if you were dead.”  
  
“Lovely.”  
  
“His name is Merlin,” she said, pulling a file out of her briefcase in the backseat. It was an unmarked manila folder holding a single sheet of paper. Although Morgana held many contacts, she didn’t have the power to get as much information on people as Arthur did. “Merlin Emerson. 25, moved to Paris after university in London with a degree in art, concentration in photography, lives with William Myers and Freya Donahue, works at the Le Café du Coeur, and currently has several art pieces for sale online.”  
  
Arthur took the single sheet of paper from her hands and examined the information. It was all the basic facts that you could easily find after a couple hacks into the national database, containing his work and school history, his previous addresses, and his phone number. It even contained an unsightly photo of him with ridiculously short hair that made his ears stand out even more. It was obvious that the photo was done when Merlin was just getting out of his teens; as Merlin had now grown into his face and his choice of hairstyle had changed for the better.  
  
“What’s so important about him?” Arthur asked, handing the paper back.  
  
Morgana took it and slipped it back into the folder. “Just keep him close. You’re going to need his magic.”  
  
Arthur studied Morgana’s face. It wasn’t as hard and stoic as it usually was; it was slightly concerned and bothered. “What is it Morgana? What are you not telling me?” he asked gently.  
  
Morgana sighed and looked at Arthur. “I’ve been having a lot of dreams about the two of you is all. And I’m just concerned of what you’ll be getting into,” she explained quietly, not like her usual self. “His magic is much more powerful than mine; he probably doesn’t even know how powerful he is himself, which you’ve probably realized by now…you’re going to need him if you’re headed down the road that I think you are. And besides I can’t keep taking off work and leaving Gwaine alone with Leon just to follow your sorry arse around the world; you know how much it annoys him.”  
  
Arthur sighed. “I’m not bringing in a civilian, Morgana. It’s more than dangerous; it’s downright suicidal, especially because he’s magic. That kid I just met is not meant to kill people. K would never allow it.”  
  
“K would be more than fine with Merlin, and you know it,” Morgana replied, completely ignoring the rest of Arthur’s concerns because she knew he was right on that front.  
  
Arthur pinched the bridge of his nose and shook his head. “Just drive me to my hotel, please. It’s been a long night.”  
  
Neither of them said anything after that.  
  
*  
  
Arthur strode into the room with his head held high and his back straight, his black blazer waving with every step he took. Agent Bryson got up from his seat in front of the large wooden desk and gave a nod to older man sitting behind it before walking past Arthur. Arthur stayed standing, his hands in the pockets of his slacks, until he heard the click of the door behind him.  
  
“What an unexpected visit, James,” the older man said as if he meant the exact opposite. He closed some files on his desk and pushed them away. “You _do_ know your task in Paris was meant to be a simple recon mission, right? But what do I get instead? Two dead bodies to clean up and our target running underground.”  
  
Arthur kept his face blank and stayed standing. “Coriander will surface again soon. He isn’t very good at staying hidden for long,” he said. “You know this, K. You dumped this task on me because of the ruckus that happened in Beirut. And I’m starting to –”  
  
“What I’m more concerned about, James, is that I pulled you up too soon,” K interrupted sternly. “I thought that you were ready and that you could handle yourself, but your ego is what’s going to get you killed. Tearing up half of Beirut and Paris and killing targets that we could’ve interrogated happened because you couldn’t handle them getting the best of you does not reflect well on the Service, England, and you.”  
  
A thick pause circled around them. Arthur lightly clenched his jaw. He hadn’t been ordered around since training and his first few years as a newbie under watch of the veteran agents. Arthur was 007, one of the top 00 agents in the British Secret Intelligence Service. In his own opinion, he was the best of the best.  
  
“I need to be able to trust you, Arthur,” K said mildly, but his words had an edge to them that Arthur had learned to detect. “If I can’t trust you to make the right decisions, then you’re of no use to me. Can I trust you, Arthur?”  
  
“If you didn’t think you could, we wouldn’t be having this conversation, would we?” Arthur replied smartly.  
  
K gave him a half smile, defining the crinkles around his mouth and eyes even more. His skin was a golden color, a color that Arthur couldn’t understand, and had lines covering his face and neck. His white hair was scraggly and hung in short, loose waves. Even with his rounded features and sharp looking teeth, K’s hazel eyes were his most defining feature; they sometimes almost seemed golden; a color that (for those who were privy to that classified information) was associated with sorcerers.  
  
K sighed as he got up from his high backed, leather chair and moved off to the side of the office, toward the high-tech screen. He tapped the screen to life, and quickly typed in a password that wasn’t in any language Arthur knew.  
  
Up on the screen was a picture of Morgause and Cenred. All their details: aliases, last known whereabouts, list of charges, known contacts, etcetera, were placed on the left side of the screen. On the right were three photos of different parts of a relic that together, created a small, almost childlike, crown; one part of the crown was missing. Two of the photos were of Morgause running off with two parts of the artifact and the third was a picture of the relic that was held in a small Paris museum; the part that Morgause just recently stole.  
  
“This was what Morgause was after,” K explained. “She managed to successfully track down three of the four pieces so far, but I know she probably already has the fourth piece or knows where to find it and will have it in a matter of days.”  
  
“What is it? What does it do?” Arthur asked as he moved toward the screen.  
  
“It is called the Circlet of Kyduan and according to the Welsh, said to be the crown of King Arthur’s first born son Kyduan. From what we can figure out, the crown was broken and scattered across Europe and Asia. Morgause somehow managed to find out where they’re hidden or held. Some of our researchers said that it was rumored Kyduan was wearing the crown when he died at a young age. He was killed by magic and thus magic still holds its effects on the object itself,” K paused and sighed. “The etchings around the outside of the circlet suggest that together, all four pieces are able to open up a channel from here into the spirit world, or hell, or wherever the sorcerer connected it to.”  
  
Arthur soaked in the information. “So this crown can bring the dead back to life?”  
  
“I don’t know for certain,” K replied, rubbing his forehead and pinching the bridge of his nose. “They could just be spirits that take on a host, they could be like zombies, or they could actually come back to life. Nobody knows, but what I do know is that opening up the channel between the two worlds could be dangerous. I hope Morgause is smart enough to know that and if she does, I’m more bothered about what she’s going to do after she raises the dead.”  
  
Arthur looked over to K. “You have a tail on them?”  
  
K scoffed. “Of course I do, who do you think we are?” With a few flicks of his fingers, the screen went dark. K went back around his desk and sat down. “Tell me more about this Merlin Emerson fellow.”  
  
Arthur raised an eyebrow. “You can’t seriously be thinking about using him.”  
  
“Morgause is one of the most dangerous magic users we’ve crossed in decades, not just because she’s powerful, but because she’s smart,” K explained, threading his fingers together and settling them on his stomach. “If Emerson was able to stop a bullet and scare off Morgause, then he’s worth looking into.”  
  
“He has no training and no self preservation skills whatsoever,” Arthur argued back. Just the thought of Merlin, someone who seemed genuine and sincere, getting dragged into Her Majesty’s Secret Service just because he had a skill that they wanted to use for their own benefit made an unpleasant feeling seep through Arthur. “If you make me do this, his death is on your hands.”  
  
“That’s why it’s going to be your job to keep him alive,” K replied smoothly.  
  
Arthur clenched his jaw. He didn’t have time to look after somebody who clearly didn’t know what danger meant. Arthur had a job to do, and that was finding Morgause and killing her once and for all. She’d already killed four of their own; it was only fair to give her what was due.  
  
“Give Emerson a visit and convince him to help you. He’ll be heavily compensated for agreeing and he will be under no obligation to help us in the future. I’ll be in touch with Morgause’s whereabouts.”  
  
With the dismissal, Arthur walked out of the office, a headache blooming behind his eyes and a knot forming across his shoulders.

  
*  
  
Real magic wasn’t something people believed in, and a good portion of the people that knew it existed were terrified of it. Those who held little or weak magic hid easily amongst the population, but the more powerful sorcerers were easier to pick out. They tended to have odd things happen around them, raising alarm to neighbors and in turn law enforcement, then eventually the government. It was useless to try and detain the sorcerers or their family because more often than not, they evaded arrest or escaped. Sure, they could have resorted to torture or genocide, but really, they didn’t want another World War III on their hands. So they kept a close eye on these sorcerers.  
  
Merlin Emerson was always special. As a little boy, his toys would move on their own, the flowers would bloom out of season, and his food would change color. His father, Balinor, was of magic, so the fact that Merlin had possessed the same talents was not surprising. What was surprising was how powerful he was at such a young age. Spells were not needed, which was what almost all sorcerers had to use to access their magic. All Merlin had to do was think of what he wanted and it would happen.  
  
When Merlin was seven-years-old, his father died. Merlin was close to his father, and the grief overwhelmed him. The earth trembled beneath his feet as he cried. He barely noticed as the furniture shook and the windows rattled in their frames. His mother, Hunith, wrapped him in her arms in attempt to soothe him and keep him away from falling objects. After twenty seconds in his mother’s embrace, the rumbling stopped, but the tears still flowed, thoroughly soaking his mother’s shirt.  
  
On the day of Balinor’s funeral, Merlin had turned a perfectly sunny day into a drab and dreary one. At that moment, Hunith knew that something must be done about Merlin’s talent. His powers were usually sedated with Balinor around, but now that he was gone, Hunith didn’t hold the ability to counteract Merlin’s magical outbursts.  
  
Gaius was a close family friend and of magic himself. His wasn’t as powerful as it used to be, but he made up for it with his knowledge. Gaius agreed to help teach Merlin all about his magic; how to gain control of it, how to hide it, and how to use it for good.  
  
Growing up, Merlin soaked in all the knowledge he could about magic from Gaius. There were times when he couldn’t get spells right or he was simply confused about certain practices, but in the end he seemed to do well with everything he set his mind to.  
  
During his teenage years, there were moments, few and far in between, where Merlin wanted to stop studying magic. His peers had noticed there was something off about him and were never scared to pick on him for it. Merlin just wanted to be _normal_ , but magic was something so great that he couldn’t give it up no matter how many times he tried.  
  
Merlin had a few friends, like his still best mate Will, who didn’t think he was too odd to be seen around school with, kept his head as low as possible, and learned to hide his magic and oddities better. He stuck with his camera, paints, and graphic pencils and did what he enjoyed to distract himself. Once in a while he’d get into fights because he didn’t know when to back down and often stood up for himself and others when there seemed not a chance in a hell that he would be getting out of there. But in the end he always survived and kept on going.  
  
After secondary school, Merlin went to university in London. Came out of the closet and had a few boyfriends. Filled into his waifish figure a bit. Studied more magic whenever he could. Met Freya, who was also a little bit magic herself and also the first person he met (besides Gaius and his father) that had magic. Then he moved out of the country with Will and Freya shortly after graduation.  
  
That was how at twenty-five-years-old, Merlin was living in Paris, trying to make a name for himself as a photographer while drawing and painting in his spare time. Unfortunately, he ended up spending most of his time working at his local café instead of actually doing any photography or art. He got a few photography jobs here and there for small time fashion lines, but otherwise not a lot of clients were lining up for him.  
  
Merlin was most certainly not very good with handling dishes or cups filled with hot liquid, but he was a good people person as well as bilingual, almost trilingual. He handled the English speakers well since it was his native language, spoke almost fluent French, and understood and spoke enough Spanish to get by. His boss Clément would have most likely fired him by now if he wasn’t so well liked by customers.  
  
He was taking a customer’s order when the blond prat from three nights before walked in. He did his best to complete the older couple’s order without fumbling too much with his French, and ended up prolonging his inevitable conversation with James by starting the couple’s order first. Unfortunately, it took no longer than a minute to make, and his coworker Genevieve, who just came out the back room, took the cups to the couple, leaving Merlin to deal with James. He had no idea why James would be here of all places. Merlin could only think of bad reasons why some bloke who had access to guns and wasn’t too intimidated by magic would be following him around.  
  
“Hello,” Merlin greeted as James stepped up to the counter, then blurted, “Are you following me?”  
  
James gave Merlin a quirk of the lips before replying, “What do you think?”  
  
“I think yes. And it’s not helping my image of you in my book.”  
  
This time James grinned. “So there’s an image of me in your head?” he asked arrogantly.  
  
Merlin sighed and glared at him. “What do you want?”  
  
“Just to talk.”  
  
Merlin frowned slightly. “I meant to drink.”  
  
James’ mistake didn’t trip him up and he answered smoothly, “Coffee, black please. And a blueberry muffin.”  
  
Merlin gave James a nod and made the transaction, giving the order to Genevieve to prepare. Out of the corner of his eye, he watched as James took a seat in the corner, his back to the wall. Merlin fidgeted as he waited for James’ order to finish, wondering what James would need to talk about with him. The hair on the back of Merlin’s neck stood up, feeling James’ gaze on him. Merlin hadn’t done anything wrong. There was nothing James could actually do him right? Besides shoot him or take him to some crazy secret institution made for magic users that he had never heard about; which he hoped never existed.  
  
When the coffee was ready, Merlin carefully carried the cup in one hand and the muffin on the plate in the other, over to James’ table.  
  
“Thank you,” James said politely.  
  
“No problem,” Merlin replied. “I’ve already taken my break, but I get off in about two hours if you want to come back later.”  
  
“I’ll wait,” James promptly answered.  
  
Merlin pursed his lips and gave James a curt nod before turning and walking off.  
  
The next two hours went by slow. Merlin kept an eye on James who still sat in the corner waiting patiently, reading a stray French newspaper and occasionally playing around with his phone. James sat with his back straight and his eyes always flickering around the café; whether he was just making sure Merlin wasn’t doing a runner or not, Merlin wasn’t sure, but it made Merlin feel like he was being watched the whole time.  
  
After an hour, Merlin started to relax a bit more and forgot about the man in the corner watching his every move. He conversed with the customers and gave them honest, sunny smiles. He cleaned up dirty tables and laughed with his coworkers. By the time his shift was over, Merlin had nearly forgotten about James.  
  
When making his way out from the back, Merlin looked for James just to see him already standing by the door. Merlin took in the clean lines of his black slacks, his pressed, off-white, button-up that was tucked in with the sleeves rolled up, perfectly fitting his broad figure, and thought that he didn’t really know James at all. He was a stranger. Merlin didn’t know what he did for a living, what his angle was, but Merlin felt as though he could trust him, that he could knowingly follow him through the dark without question.  
  
“Ready?” James questioned as he opened the door and held it for Merlin.  
  
Merlin nodded. “Where’re we going?”  
  
“There’s a park a couple streets over, if you’re alright with going there,” James suggested.  
  
Merlin found himself nodding again and falling into step with the other man. If they had met in a different fashion, Merlin could entertain himself thinking of this as some sort of date or a precursor to one. It would be wrong for Merlin to deny any sort of mild attraction he held for the man, if the past three days of thinking about James was anything to go by, though Merlin knew that James probably was straight, a man whore, and way out of his league. That information didn’t seem to help any though.  
  
They were quiet as they walked close to one another, but far enough that their arms never brushed. Other people strolled on by, ignoring Merlin and James like they were doing to them, but Merlin wondered what James looked like in their eyes. To the ordinary eye, James looked like any other business man who had just gotten off work and shed his suit jacket, but Merlin knew James wasn’t at all like that. James could be dangerous, just as dangerous as that woman from the alley. But deep down, Merlin trusted him, even while knowing this.  
  
When they arrived at the small park, a rectangular lawn of green grass surrounded by benches, pathways, and tall trees, they took a seat away from the other park goers on one of the cool metal benches.  
  
“So,” Merlin prompted, his hands clasped on his lap and his leg bouncing up and down. He turned his head to look at James.  
  
“I’ll start with the basics,” James said, his eyes roaming over the patrons visiting the park. There was a family having an early dinner picnic. Three teenage boys were kicking around a football. A couple was lying side by side on the grass. “The only things I can really tell you are that the people I work for want to use you and your talents for about a week or so. You’d be well compensated and you’d be under no obligation to help us again, or at all, if you don’t want to. It wouldn’t be fair to not warn you now that what I’m asking of you has a great risk involved with it. And when I say ‘great risk’ I mean the possibility of death. Only until you agree with those terms and agree to help, can I tell you what this is about.”  
  
Merlin sat through James’ speech feeling more and more like he stepped out of his boring, mundane life and into some movie, because things like this didn’t happen. There were no half-giants knocking down your door telling you you’re a wizard, there were no rabbit holes to fall through, and there were no prince charmings who swept you off your feet, but what James was asking was like Mission Impossible. _‘Your mission, should you choose to accept it…’_  
  
Everything that James was saying was shady though. He didn’t give details or even hint at what he was asking of Merlin beside the fact that his magic was going to be needed. Though his instincts told him to agree, the little rational part of his brain that sounded a lot like a fusion of Gaius and his mother told him that this was completely suicidal. But then again, Merlin always felt like he should use his magic for something good rather than whisking away stains on his clothes and changing the channel when he couldn’t be arsed to reach over for the remote. This could be his chance to do something with his gift, get rid of that feeling that he was better than some server at a café trying to sell himself through his photography.  
  
“That isn’t vague at all,” Merlin said sarcastically in reply.  
  
“Well, that’s all you’re going to get,” James retorted.  
  
Merlin wrung his hands together and gnawed lightly at his lower lip. “Do you even know my name? I mean, how do you know I’m not just going to agree and then all of a sudden flake on you? You don’t know me at all, why are you asking me this?” Merlin all of a sudden ranted, his hands flying in different directions with each word spilled. “I don’t even know _you_ , except for the fact that your name is James, you like to wear fancy clothes as if you’re some sort of business man even though you’re definitely not one, and you’re a prat.”  
  
When Merlin was done talking, he looked over to James to see an amused, or at least what Merlin thought was amused, look on his face. It made Merlin huff.  
  
“My name’s Arthur actually,” James, now known as Arthur, said merely in reply. “Arthur James, and that’s all you need to know about me really.”  
  
“Oh, so you want me to agree to something dangerous, possibly life threatening, just upon knowing your name?” Merlin countered with a snarky tone.  
  
Arthur still had the same amused look on his face. “Essentially, yes.”  
  
When Merlin frowned, Arthur sighed and leaned forward, resting his elbows on his thighs. “You see, _Merlin_ ,” he said as he looked at Merlin, noticing him jump a little in surprise at the sound of his name. “Although you may not know me, I know you. Not necessarily facts like what your favorite color is, but of your personality. You’re stubborn as hell. You’re curious, self-sacrificing, and probably a bit remiss. You have a strong sense of doing what’s right no matter the consequences, though you wouldn’t kill someone unless it was in self defense or if someone was threatening enough. You have all this power and you don’t know what to do with it…I’m giving you a chance to see what you’re capable of.”  
  
A light breeze blew by, rustling the trees and setting a chill to Merlin’s pale skin. Merlin breathed in the crisp air of nature and tried not to be freaked out by all that Arthur said. The truth was that Arthur was sort of right and that scared Merlin. Here Arthur was, handing over the chance of a lifetime by playing to all his weaknesses, weaknesses that he learned after one night of meeting each other. It was all disarming.  
  
Merlin’s eyes flitted to Arthur, whose gaze hadn’t wavered from Merlin’s face. “So are you the good guys or the bad guys?” Merlin asked instead of trying to find the response to what Arthur revealed.  
  
Arthur smirked. “Good guys, of course. Although, in my world, there is no real good and bad, just who’s the better shot.”  
  
“That’s not really reassuring.”  
  
“Don’t worry, I’ll be with you every step of the way. And I’m a damn good shot.”  
  
“Still not reassuring.”  
  
“Shut up, Merlin, and agree,” Arthur answered, rolling his eyes.  
  
Merlin grinned. “My, aren’t we impatient? I thought I had a choice.”  
  
“Yeah? Well, I’m revoking yours since you’re taking too long.”  
  
“Just for that, I don’t really fancy it.”  
  
“ _Mer_ lin.”  
  
Merlin chuckled. “You’re fun to wind up.”  
  
“You’re just lucky I can’t shoot you. I tend to shoot people who annoy me,” Arthur joked.  
  
“Is that why you don’t have any friends?” Merlin quipped, his eyebrows raised.  
  
Arthur’s face twisted. “Where the bloody hell did you get that one from?”  
  
Merlin shrugged. “I dunno. You just seem like too much of a prat for people to put up with.”  
  
Arthur made a noise that Merlin decided was between a grunt and a sigh, and stood up muttering something Merlin couldn’t really understand, but he did hear the word ‘killing’ somewhere in there. Not very comforting.  
  
“Come on,” Arthur ordered as he took a step toward the exit of the park.  
  
Merlin frowned, something that was happening frequently during the conversation, and stood up to follow Arthur. “Where’re we going?”  
  
“To your flat. You’ll need some clothes,” Arthur stated.  
  
“My flat?”  
  
“Yes. We’ll need to leave tonight.”  
  
“But I didn’t agree!” Merlin cried as they stepped onto the sidewalk. Merlin barely noticed that Arthur had turned in the right direction of where his flat was.  
  
Arthur gave Merlin an innocent look.  
  
“Didn’t you?”  
  
*  
  
“Did I tell you I hate flying?”  
  
“Yes, Merlin, for the fiftieth time, I heard you,” Arthur grumbled. He closed his eyes and pushed his head back against the headrest.  
  
“Well, I really hate it,” Merlin complained, his hands clenching the arms of the seat.  
  
The plane rumbled as it taxied down the tarmac. Merlin looked out the window of the small, private plane and tried not to whimper as he watched the buildings speed by.  
  
When Merlin had collected some of his belongings, Will had been home. It wasn’t the easiest thing to lie to him, since Will had a knack of knowing when Merlin was lying, but he took Merlin’s lie of landing a photography job back in London in stride. He had also called work saying that there was a family emergency and he wouldn’t be able to come in for a week. They believed him because he was a good worker and there was no reason not to.  
  
Merlin had only flown once, and it was a short flight from London to Dublin that seemed to have too much turbulence for Merlin’s liking and a difficult landing due to all of the heavy rain. What made this flight worse was that Merlin had no clue where they were going. Arthur was remaining tight lipped until they were up in the air, where no one could hear the details.  
  
Merlin kept his eyes shut and concentrated on not hyperventilating as he felt the plane accelerate down the runway. His fingers tightened fractionally as the plane lifted off the ground and steadily gained elevation. The plane leveled out eventually and Merlin opened his eyes when he heard a _ding_ ring throughout the cabin noting that they could take off their seatbelts.  
  
A clinking noise could be heard from beside him, and Merlin looked over to see Arthur undoing his seat belt from the single seat on the opposite side of the cabin.  
  
“Come on,” Arthur urged as he stood up and motioned to the back of the plane. “Let’s sit at the table.” Merlin nodded shakily and got up from his seat.  
  
The table at the back was small booth with matching cream seats and a dark wooden table. Merlin mirrored Arthur and slipped into the opposite side of the booth.  
  
“Alright,” Arthur said as he settled into his seat, his hands folded lightly on the top of the table. “First things first. The woman you saw a few days ago is named Morgause, one of the most dangerous magic users in this hemisphere and also a trained assassin. Her bitch of the moment is Cenred who is also an assassin, but definitely not of the same caliber and not a magic user.”  
  
Merlin listened closely as Arthur told him about the pieces of the crown and what was expected to happen when all four pieces were brought together. All of it seemed plausible, not that Merlin knew much about the subject of necromancy or summoning the dead, but he knew that magic was often fathomless.  
  
“We’re headed to the Dead Sea. Morgause was last seen on the outskirts of Jerusalem and our researchers believe the Dead Sea is the place she’s going to be. It has the lowest land elevation in the world, which would be the place to easily access hell or the dead in general. Also, it’s the saltiest body of water, and salt is the best thing to keep spirits away.”  
  
Merlin rubbed his eyes, feeling like he needed to take a nap. “So, what am I supposed to be doing through all this?” he asked tiredly.  
  
“ _You_ , are to not get yourself killed under any circumstances and protect me from anything and everything harmful. It’s my job to kill Morgause and if I can, Cenred, and also look after your sorry behind.”  
  
“Ah, so let’s just hope there’s no magic going on.”  
  
Arthur raised an eyebrow, causing Merlin sigh and slump in his seat.  
  
*  
  
It was almost midnight when they landed and made it to their hotel room. It was lavish, large, and, thankfully, had two beds (not that Merlin would complain too much if there had only been one). The television was small, but the size of the bathroom made up for it, as did the mints on the pillows.  
  
Merlin immediately dropped his small duffle bag randomly on the blue carpet and flopped face first onto the closer bed. He shifted until he was in the center and his head placed on a feather pillow. He groaned at the softness beneath him. “I’m going to sleep now if you don’t mind,” Merlin mumbled.  
  
Arthur shook his head and moved over to the dresser where a clean set of clothes was waiting for him. After he changed into a different shirt and prepared for bed, he went back into the main room to see that Merlin had fallen asleep in the same position that he landed himself in.  
  
For a moment Arthur considered leaving him in that position, but a guilty feeling prodded at him, making him wake Merlin up.  
  
Arthur sighed as he shook Merlin’s shoulder. “Merlin, wake up,” he said softly as Merlin grumbled something and moved away from Arthur’s touch. “Merlin.”  
  
When he got no response, he put the forgotten mint on the bedside table and started taking off Merlin’s shoes. He gently pried Merlin out of his zip-up jacket, folded it up, and placed it on top of the dresser. Then he went back to the bed and pulled back the covers as best as he could from underneath Merlin and pulled them over him.  
  
With a sigh, Arthur stared at Merlin’s face. He looked as relaxed and carefree as he always did, and maybe a bit more. Merlin wasn’t classically beautiful with large ears and a long, thin face. But he had a nice pointed nose, sharp cheekbones, bright blue eyes, and an attractive smile. Arthur never had a preference of what sex he was attracted to, a warm body was a body no matter the parts, but usually they were all stunning and knew it. Merlin wasn’t like that, Merlin didn’t know what kind of charm he held with other people. Merlin was a tad awkward looking, but something about him appealed to Arthur all the same.  
  
Sighing again, Arthur rubbed his face and set the alarm clock on the bedside table. He then climbed into bed and quickly fell into a dreamless sleep.  
  
*  
  
The next day they were in a car that Arthur had acquired in a way Merlin did not want to think of as stealing. They were just borrowing. Yes, borrowing. Merlin had tried to argue about it, but Arthur said that it was perfectly fine and he stole cars all the time, he wasn’t going to get caught. It was a shame that the agency couldn’t get him a nice car out in Jerusalem.  
  
Merlin retaliated by never shutting up on the car ride, especially since he was woken up ungraciously at seven in the morning, which meant five in the morning to his internal clock.  
  
Merlin had brought his camera along with him when he left Paris, but he didn’t carry it with him now; there was a chance that it would break and Merlin didn’t really have the funds to buy a new one. But he did have a small handheld one that he kept in his pocket for a time like this.  
  
They were driving along the coast of the sea just after two in the afternoon; apparently Morgause had crossed the border into Jordan some time during the night. They drove from Jerusalem, through Jericho, across the border and were now making their way south. Around them were ruins and rough patches of desert that cropped up into large mountains. Merlin had never seen anything like it before. He had only been in the UK and a few parts of France, so as Arthur concentrated on breaking about a dozen driving laws, Merlin focused on the scenery and taking pictures. He knew he might not ever get to show them to anybody because he could never say for what reason he was in the Middle East for.  
  
They passed by several large hotel getaways as well, and Merlin thought that Morgause could be in one of them, but Arthur kept driving.  
  
Merlin was surprised when they stopped alongside the road in the middle of nowhere. The last hotel they saw was a few miles back and there didn’t seem to be anything for miles.  
  
“Shit, she’s already here,” Arthur muttered to himself as he climbed out of the car. “Come on, Merlin.”  
  
Merlin swung his head round toward the water to see five figures standing along the beach a good distance from where they stopped. Between them and the beach was a quarter of a mile of a downward, dirt-filled sloping hill.  
  
He followed Arthur out of the car into the heat and hopped over the metal railing that ran along the edge of the road. His heart started to pound faster in his chest.  
  
Together they quickly made their way down the hill as best as they could without falling and tried to stay hidden behind the edge of a divot. From their vantage point they were able to peek over without being seen. Merlin watched as the five figures made their way into the water, three of the five walking ahead of Morgause and Cenred.  
  
Merlin had scraped the palms of his hands a few times against the rocks, but the adrenaline running through his system overpowered the stinging. He climbed awkwardly downward as sweat dripped down his spine – he didn’t have a lick of athleticism in him and despaired Arthur who looked like he was born for physical tasks.  
  
They were reaching just three quarters of the way when Merlin finally noticed it—the three people in front were bound with their arms behind their backs and gags wrapped around their heads. He tried to keep an eye on them as he climbed, watching them as they pushed forward through the water until it reached their waists.  
  
It was when he looked away at a rockier point of the climb did the gunshots go off in the distance; three separate, quick pops. The noise made Merlin stumble and fall back, landing awkwardly on his butt and hip. His blood ran cold as he thought of what the gunshots could mean, but there was no other explanation than what he thought it could be. His heart sank and his stomach twisted.  
  
Arthur had stopped and cursed when he heard the gunshots as well. He had looked back to see Merlin sitting against the rocks. Arthur paused, not knowing what to do. He was used to dealing with guns, blood, killings, and dead bodies, but Merlin wasn’t.  
  
“Tell me that wasn’t what I think it was,” Merlin said lowly.  
  
Arthur glanced over their cover to see Morgause with her hand out toward the three fallen bodies; he watched as they unnaturally sank downward into the water.  
  
Arthur turned back to Merlin who was looking up at him with worried blue eyes and pale skin. “Come on, we need to get down there,” he said gently, not bothering to answer, knowing that he would know the truth no matter what Arthur said.  
  
*  
  
Bubbles rose to the surface as she chanted and threw the repaired circlet into the water. She was sacrificing one life for another. Three lives for another three. Three that were unjustly killed before their time.  
  
After she finished her words, three bodies slowly rose from the water. Their heads broke the surface first in tandem and then their torsos, the water covered them from the waist and below. All three were naked as water ran down their bodies and back into the sea. Two of them were dark haired men and the third a dark blond woman. They gazed at Morgause with vacant expressions, but knowing eyes.  
  
“Morgause,” the middle man with shaggy hair said formally.  
  
“Cornelius,” Morgause replied smiling faintly. “Mordred. Sophia.” She gave the other two brief nods. “I believe it’s time.”  
  
“Look who’s here,” Sophia said with a coy smile, looking past both Morgause and Cenred to the beach.  
  
Both Morgause and Cenred twisted around to see Arthur and Merlin along the shoreline, Arthur with his gun drawn and Merlin standing two paces to his right.  
  
“I see you’ve adopted a new pet,” Morgause said to Arthur as she looked Merlin over, remembering him from the other night.  
  
“If he’s enough to scare you off, I figured he’s a keeper,” Arthur replied, his gaze and outstretched arm never wavering.  
  
Arthur pulled the trigger.  
  
Unsurprisingly, the bullet was deflected down into the water.  
  
“Ah, you remember Cornelius, don’t you, Arthur?” Morgause asked rhetorically.  
  
Arthur gazed past her to the man in the middle whose arm was raised and blue eyes swimming in gold. He remembered Cornelius turning inanimate objects to life and using them to rein havoc, he remembered Cornelius committing fraud and money laundering, and he remembered killing Cornelius three years ago in the middle of a shopping mall in the dead of night.  
  
He looked to the woman on the left. He remembered a little bit about Sophia. He remembered watching her seduce the men around her until they ended up missing a week later. He remembered almost being one of them if it hadn’t been for Morgana putting a bullet through her four years ago.  
  
On the right was Mordred. Mordred was a menace of a twenty year old. By seventeen he had a rap sheet that took up two pages and by nineteen he had killed five people with no more than a wave of his hand. He was one of the most powerful sorcerers Arthur had ever encountered, even more powerful than Morgause, with a psychotic personality. Arthur had killed him last year.  
  
“Just remember the joy of finally putting him down,” Arthur intoned. He looked at Merlin and said quietly, “Try to bring the shield down if you can.”  
  
Merlin threw Arthur a panicked look, not knowing how to do that, but Arthur had turned back to the others. Arthur had told him about the shields, but nothing on how to destroy them. Sighing, Merlin raised his arm and did his best to get rid of the shield standing between them.  
  
“Mordred, make us a path would you dear?” Morgause then said.  
  
Mordred drew his arms up, out of the water. Around them the wind began to pick up, the water that was gently lapping against the sand began to move faster and reach farther until the water unnaturally pulled back to the sea, past the original shoreline. The wind continued to whip around and Merlin tried his best to stop it, but the wind soon picked up the water around it creating a small tornado out of the water.  
  
Merlin fought back against the water, pulling it back down, and the water did until Cornelius joined Mordred and pushed the wind even harder.  
  
Arthur stepped back as the tornado grew even larger and started moving toward them. He believed in Merlin’s powers, but he now doubted if Merlin knew how to harness them; he needed better training.  
  
As the tornado moved toward them, the other five walked around it toward the beach. By the time they reached the shore, Merlin had diminished most of the tornado, but the wind was still whipping madly around them and the spray of the water made it hard for them to keep their eyes fully open.  
  
With a cry, Mordred threw the tornado at Merlin and Arthur. Merlin put up a barrier just in time, and the water curled around them, creating a ball of water with them at the center.  
  
“Merlin! Do something!” Arthur cried as he kept his head down and away.  
  
Merlin tried to take as deep of a breath as he could and put both arms outstretched to the sides of him and forced the water around them into a wall. His arms followed the movement of the water until both were extended in front of him. He could feel Mordred on the other side of the water pushing back to the wall, but Merlin was stronger now that he knew what he was doing.  
  
With a final push, Merlin pushed the wall back at the others, the water falling like a wave over them, drenching them to the bone, and finally resting upon the sand.  
  
Merlin was breathing heavily as Morgause reached her arm out toward the rocks of the cliff and pulled with her magic. A loud rumbling sound reverberated as the rocks detached themselves from the cliff and quickly tumbled upon the sand. Merlin raised his arms just in time to stop a series of rocks from falling on top of them and tossed them aside quickly. The rocks affectively created a barrier in the chasm between the two groups. A cloud of dirt and dust sprang up in the air and with a wave of his hand, Merlin cleared the air.  
  
Arthur stared at the wall. “Well, that was pointless,” he spat as he turned around and headed back to the car.  
  
Merlin looked Arthur. “You mean you don’t want to pursue them?” He jogged to catch up with him, his feet digging into the sand, making it harder to run.  
  
“By the time we get through that they’re going to be a good distance away,” Arthur explained. “And then what’s going to happen if we do catch up to them? My guess would be the same thing that just happened. Three sorcerers against one that doesn’t know how to use his magic as well as they do.”  
  
Merlin glared. “I know how to use my magic.”  
  
“You know how to use them for small things. Domestic things,” Arthur argued back. “This isn’t where you use little tricks to get by; this is where you unleash your demons. This is the time to try everything and anything without reservation.”  
  
Merlin frowned, angry little lines creeping into his forehead. “I’m not going to kill anyone,” he disputed.  
  
“I never said you had to,” Arthur replied as he stopped and turned to Merlin. “But you can knock them off their feet, knock them unconscious, push them against the wall. Incapacitate them.”  
  
They stared each other down before Merlin nodded solemnly.  
  
*  
  
The flight back to London a day later was uneventful, though Merlin still gripped the armrests like his life depended on it and Arthur made fun of him for it again.  
  
To distract him, Arthur asked about Merlin’s life and let Merlin do the same to him, to an extent at least; Arthur was an extremely private person. It seemed like they got along well when one wasn’t hurling insults at the other. Merlin laughed at his dry, sarcastic humor and Arthur smiled when Merlin told entertaining stories about how that one time his mother got annoyed when his magic rearranged everything in the kitchen three times in one day when he was four.  
  
Merlin then tried asking about Arthur’s job. He didn’t get too far because there was not much Arthur could say past that ‘I sometimes kill people and I track down terrorists and criminals that are a threat’, so Merlin changed direction to asking about things Arthur liked. What was his favorite television show, his favorite book, his favorite food. The answers weren’t that good because he didn’t watch television, he hadn’t picked up a book in years, and ate everything and anything. Merlin was a bit disappointed by them.  
  
And even though he was happy when they finally landed, Merlin wished he had more time to get to know Arthur better.  
  
*  
  
“I don’t understand how you’re so sure that they’re here,” Merlin said as the door to the suite opened. Merlin gaped at the size of the common room with black leather seats, floor to ceiling windows, gas fireplace and crystal chandelier. There were two doors on opposite sides of the room, leading to two different bedrooms. Next to the main door was a small kitchen with a small island.  
  
Arthur closed and locked the door behind them. “You’ll learn that there’re eyes everywhere, Merlin,” he replied as he walked straight into the room on left and tossed his small duffle bag onto the queen sized bed.  
  
Merlin huffed and kept talking about the government, which Arthur pointedly ignored in favor of sweeping the hotel for bugs.  
  
“While I’m glad that the government is looking out for us,” Merlin babbled as he laid down on the cool leather couch, “I still think it’s creepy that they can keep track of anyone so easily, especially someone who makes it a point to not be noticed and slip under the radar.”  
  
Arthur let Merlin keep on talking. It was soothing actually. When someone spoke to him it was usually because they wanted something, a death threat, or information, but Merlin just _talked_ and he didn’t mind if Arthur was actually listening or not (usually). Other times Merlin talked for conversation, to find out what interested Arthur or to ask Arthur questions. It was refreshing to even talk about the _weather_. He didn’t have to think if Merlin had some hidden agenda or worry about tricking Merlin into saying something.  
  
Once Arthur was satisfied that the hotel had no hidden devices, he moved back to the main room to see Merlin watching television.  
  
Merlin glanced at Arthur and smiled, making Arthur pause in his actions as his stomach flipped. “I miss watching Doctor Who re-runs,” Merlin commented as he turned back to the screen. Arthur glanced at the television. He had watched one episode once before, but had gotten confused and shut it off. That felt like years ago.  
  
“I have to go into the city for a couple hours and visit my boss. Stay here and don’t open this door for anyone,” Arthur informed him. “Understand?”  
  
“Yeah, yeah,” Merlin said distractedly, his arm waving Arthur away.  
  
Arthur looked at Merlin sprawled all over the couch and felt a wave of domesticity wash over him, making him frown.  
  
Arthur tried his best to not slam the door behind him.

*  
  
The conversation with K did not go well. He didn’t seem to like the fact that not only did one person come back from the dead, but three. The fact that Merlin didn’t live up to his potential was also a topic of discussion, but Arthur didn’t worry too much about that; K was always harsh on people.  
  
The good news was that Sophia was already sighted and tracked. She was seen with Gene Herzog, Vice President of Deadbolt Security, already seducing the man into her trap. The premonition was that Sophia was going make a move on her mark the next night at their annual charity gala. Arthur had to hand it to her, she worked fast.  
  
On his way back to the hotel, he called Morgana.  
  
 _“What could I possibly teach him?”_ she asked when Arthur proposed Morgana train him a bit on how to use his magic. _“He’s way stronger than I am.”_  
  
“He may be stronger, but he has no idea how to use it,” Arthur replied. “You can teach him that, give him a way to channel it. He’s never really done anything like this before.”  
  
Morgana sighed and conceded. _“Okay, fine. Bring him to the warehouse tomorrow at ten. I’ll take a day off.”_  
  
“Thanks, Morgana.”  
  
They both hung up just as Arthur stepped into one of his favorite Chinese take-out spots. He picked up three containers of food for dinner containing fried rice, General Tsao’s chicken, and an order of Chinese broccoli. He thought Merlin would like at least one of the three.  
  
It took another ten minutes before he got back to the hotel. When he stepped into the room, Merlin was in the same spot that Arthur had left him in.  
  
Merlin looked over and grinned. “Good, you picked up dinner, I was getting hungry,” he said before he started sitting up. Arthur, for a split second, entertained pushing Merlin back down, lying beside him and pressing his face into the crook of Merlin’s long neck, but quickly pushed the thought away before it could go any farther.  
  
“Yeah,” Arthur sighed as he moved to the couch and sat down with a good distance away from Merlin, but not too far to seem offensive. “I hope you like Chinese.”  
  
“Anything’s good right now,” Merlin pointed out as he helped Arthur take out the containers and extra paper plates.  
  
After they piled food onto their plates, they settled back onto the couch to watch more of the Doctor Who marathon which required Merlin to explain what the TARDIS was and how the show worked in general. Arthur didn’t see what was so entertaining and Merlin called him an insult to all that is English.  
  
“Tomorrow I’m taking you to see my sister,” Arthur said when they finished eating and were relaxing.  
  
“You have a sister?”  
  
“Half-sister. She’s going to help you a bit with your magic.”  
  
“Okay,” Merlin agreed easily.  
  
Though he sounded sure of himself, Arthur noticed the concern on his face. Arthur scoffed and said, “Don’t look so worried, she’s not going to teach you how to kill someone. Actually, she might, knowing her. She’s sneaky, that one.”  
  
“Great, just what I wanted,” Merlin replied sarcastically.  
  
Arthur smirked, “Just make sure you get a good night’s sleep. You’re going to need it.”  
  
*  
  
Merlin thought Morgana was a bit frightening at first. Confidence rolled off her in waves and her presence filled up the room in seconds. But she was nice, if not a bit hard on Merlin when he didn’t do exactly what she said.  
  
“Just think of a shield as a blanket,” Morgana explained as she walked backwards away from Merlin. “A blanket’s tightly woven, but there are still tiny holes between each stitch that allows for air. That’s what your magic needs to do, you need to find those holes and rip them apart. Get it now?”  
  
Merlin nodded hesitantly, hoping that he would get it right this time around. It was easy to feel the shield and easy to press against it, but when it came to breaking it down Merlin simply didn’t know what to do. This was going to be his fourth try to take down a shield that Morgana made.  
  
They had started off the day with telekinetic tasks. The warehouse was an empty building in the industrial area of London. Save for the broken tables and chairs that the previous tenant left behind, there wasn’t much to work with, but Merlin easily breezed through the first tasks throwing around the abandoned objects with Morgana’s direction, having always used this kind of magic before. Next they moved onto shields, something that Merlin was having difficulty with.  
  
“Ready?” Morgana asked.  
  
“Yeah,” Merlin replied before taking a deep breath.  
  
He watched as Morgana lifted her arms and created a transparent barrier between them. Merlin could feel the magic between them and let his own go as he closed his eyes in concentration and elevated his arm. He let his magic seep out of him and move against the shield. Then he searched, he looked for the tiny holes that Morgana was talking about and found what she was pointing out. The holes were tiny, like the size of molecules, but Merlin could feel every one. He could feel where one thread of magic started and where the other ended. So he shoved his magic forward through those holes and easily ripped the threads apart.  
  
When Merlin opened his eyes, Morgana was smiling, behind her Arthur had stepped into the building with lunch and was giving Merlin half a smile, something Merlin learned to interpret as his approving look.  
  
“That was really good,” Morgana complimented. “And fast. Let’s see if you can do that again.”  
  
Merlin nodded, feeling more nervous now that Arthur was in the room. Arthur was counting on him to get better with his magic; he was good, but he could do better; this was the time to prove himself.  
  
Morgana put up her shield without letting Merlin know, but he felt it anyway. It only took five seconds before Merlin’s magic wove its way through the shield and easily broke it apart, ripping it like a piece of paper.  
  
“Perfect,” Morgana grinned and Merlin smiled back at her.  
  
“Come on,” Arthur called out, pulling a table upright and placing the bag of food on it. “Lunch.”  
  
When Merlin smiled at Arthur, he smiled back, making butterflies erupt in Merlin’s stomach.  
  
*  
  
That night Merlin stood in the doorway as Arthur pulled out a suit from his closet.  
  
“Put this on,” Arthur instructed as he moved away from the closet and handed Merlin the suit and hangers. “We’re going to a gala tonight to see if we can smoke out anyone. Sophia will be there, but Morgause won’t demean herself to do grunt work so she’ll send Cenred in her stead, so we’ll have to keep an eye on him as well.”  
  
“How did you get my size?” Merlin asked as he checked the labels, ignoring what Arthur had just said.  
  
Merlin looked up to see Arthur smirking at him and giving him some sort of look that Merlin didn’t know how to read. “Just put it on,” he replied as he grabbed his own suit from the closet and moved into the bathroom.  
  
Merlin stood and looked at the white door Arthur had disappeared though and shook his head. Once in a while, in past few days, he’d catch Arthur looking at him in a weird way. Merlin couldn’t pin how Arthur was looking at him, but it was a cross between studying and longing. He honestly didn’t know what to make of it. It didn’t take a genius to guess that Arthur wasn’t one for relationships, he flirted with the waitresses and charmed the pants off other men, but that didn’t mean he felt anything other than attraction or was just being naturally sociable with them.  
  
Sighing, Merlin turned away and went to change.  
  
The suit was tailored perfectly. The black slacks fit snugly around the waist and hung lightly around his hips. The black suit jacket was measured to the exact length of his broad shoulders and the sleeves reached just the right length to his wrists. The tie was a navy that brought out his eyes more and gave some color to the suit.  
  
Merlin had never looked this good in a suit before. The few times he wore one, he usually looked like a scarecrow with the cheap suits that weren’t made to fit his lanky shape. This suit was sharp and expensive and something that Merlin knew he’d never be able to afford.  
  
Running his fingers through his hair, Merlin tried to make his messy locks fall in the right places over his ears and forehead. When he was satisfied, Merlin moved out of the bathroom still barefoot. Stepping out of his bedroom, he was stunned at the sight of Arthur in a suit.  
  
Arthur’s broad shoulders filled out the jacket perfectly and tapered around his waist. The slacks were just tight enough to a hint at his backside before falling in a straight line to his ankles. He also wore a red tie that matched his complexion and blond hair. Merlin cursed the thought that Arthur could look any better than he usually did in normal clothes.  
  
Arthur glanced over to where Merlin was standing and looked him up and down, taking in the new set of clothes. “You look good,” Arthur said after a few seconds of them just staring at each other.  
  
“Thanks,” Merlin replied in a practically squeaky tone as he blushed. He cleared his throat, embarrassed. “You too.”  
  
Arthur gave him a soft smile before gesturing to the island counter he was standing by. “Socks, shoes, and a pair of cufflinks,” Arthur pointed out as Merlin moved forward into the room.  
  
As Merlin started to put on the socks, Arthur continued talking. “The cufflinks have a tracking device in them so in case something happens, I can find you. Stay close to me at all times unless I tell you otherwise; I don’t need you wandering off on your own. Even charity balls have their fair share of sharks and predators.”  
  
“Yes, mum,” Merlin grumbled as he slipped on the shoes and knelt to tie them.  
  
“Your name is going to be John Louver, an up in coming artist, and you’re going to be my escort for the night. And just in case anyone asks, my name’s Arthur Bailey, an entrepreneur who just settled a two hundred thousand dollar deal with Deadlock Security.”  
  
Merlin stood and nodded, remembering everything that Arthur said about their covers. He opened the case for the cufflinks to find simple and plain rectangular cufflinks that matched the color of his tie. He fumbled with putting them on before Arthur stepped closer and took over.  
  
“Useless, aren’t you?” Arthur muttered.  
  
“Shut up,” Merlin replied, glaring. Arthur looked up and gave Merlin a smirk, making Merlin’s heart stop for a second, before looking down again. His heart started beating faster when Arthur’s hands brushed lightly against his. Merlin tried his best to not think about it.  
  
“Anyway, we met a month ago through a mutual friend at an art gallery and hit it off from there.”  
  
Merlin gulped at the idea of acting like a couple with Arthur. It wouldn’t be hard to fake, but it would be hard to forget about.  
  
“At the gala there will be quite a few CEOs and presidents of companies we don’t give a rat’s ass about and an auction for a charity. _We_ are going to be keeping an eye on Sophia and Cenred and anyone they might be taking more than a usual interest in. Got it?”  
  
Arthur dropped his hands away from Merlin’s. Merlin fiddled with the cufflink for a second before dropping his own and nodding.  
  
Arthur suddenly reached over and fixed Merlin’s tie, making Merlin freeze. After he finished fixing it, he smoothed a hand over the tie. His hand lingered for a moment before he came back to himself and cleared his throat.  
  
“Right. Ready to go?”  
  
With a nod from Merlin, they left the hotel, Merlin still reeling from all the actions and signs Arthur was sending him.  
  
*  
  
Merlin had marveled at the sleek, steel Aston Martin Arthur drove everywhere. Now that they were back in London, Arthur had his pick of cars. It was expensive, fast, and had Arthur written all over it. The seats were black leather, matching the dash and middle divider. The console had a GPS and a touch screen control. The car was _nice_ and Merlin felt like he couldn’t touch anything in fear of breaking it.  
  
On the long car ride, Arthur went over their covers and objectives again for clarity while Merlin tried to figure out how to turn the radio on without touching too many buttons. Arthur huffed before reaching over and pressing a large knob on the left that immediately filled the car with news radio.  
  
“Was this the last thing you were listening to?” Merlin asked incredulously. They hadn’t turned the radio on earlier because Merlin enjoyed early morning silences and was wiped out on the ride back to the hotel.  
  
Arthur shrugged. “I like being informed.”  
  
“This is why you don’t know anything current,” Merlin pointed out as he twirled the knob to get to a proper music station.  
  
“I know who Lady Gaga is,” Arthur argued.  
  
“She doesn’t count. Even my Uncle Gaius knows who she is, and he knows _nothing_ about current music. He thought LMFAO was an acronym for some sort of new venereal disease.”  
  
When Arthur didn’t laugh, Merlin looked over to see Arthur frowning faintly.  
  
“Oh my God, you don’t know what LMFAO stands for do you?” Merlin accused, his voice rising in pitch slightly. “You sad, sad man. There is no hope for you if you don’t even know what that means.”  
  
“What does it mean then?” Arthur asked, throwing his arms in the air before they rested back on the steering wheel.  
  
“Do you know what LOL stands for?”  
  
Arthur shrugged. “Something about laughing.”  
  
“Close enough. It means ‘laugh out loud’ and LMFAO stands for ‘laughing my fuckin’ ass off’ and it’s also some American group name. Their music’s catchy, but kinda sucks at the same time. Like one of those really likeable bad songs that just gets stuck in your head.”  
  
Merlin sighed in appreciation when he finally landed on a station playing something other than commercials.  
  
“ _Kiss the stars tonight. You and me, oh, we will write our name in lights. They will see we're in love tonight_ ,” he sang before laughing. “Did you know there’s a part in here that says: _Put the plug in the socket, give me all your power, when you turn it on I can go for hours_? It’s so horribly sexual it’s funny.”  
  
The words earned a grin and a chuckle from Arthur, and Merlin found that he wanted more of that. It made Arthur look younger and relaxed instead of the straight-faced man who turned on his charm when he needed to and had the weight of the world on his shoulders.  
  
The rest of the ride was filled with Merlin scanning stations and telling Arthur of all the latest hit music. Arthur was still in the era where Britney Spears was getting popular and wasn’t surprised when Merlin told him she basically had a meltdown a few years ago and shaved her head bald.  
  
When they arrived at a large estate that rented out their grounds for events like this, there was a short line of cars waiting for the valet since they were forty-five minutes late. Merlin gazed at the pure green lawns and the water fountain that stood in the middle of it. Behind the fountain and past the circular driveway was the large Victorian looking house made of bricks with white trimmings. It was an artist’s dream.  
  
People were wearing suits and ball gowns. They moved into the house at a leisurely pace and a few hung around out front to have a smoke. The weather was behaving itself for once and it wasn’t too cold nor was it raining.  
  
As they reached the front of the house, the car was taken away by the valet to be parked in a small car park off to the side of the grounds.  
  
Arthur had pulled out an invitation he picked up earlier from his inner jacket pocket. It was given to them through a connection of the MI6. The man who originally held it didn’t want to go in the first place.  
  
As they walked up the few steps leading to the front door, Arthur kept close to Merlin, keeping a hand on the small of his back. He gave a cool look to the security man standing in front taking the invitations as the man looked them over. When he approved the invitation, he waved them in.  
  
When they stepped into the foyer, Arthur could hear Merlin gasp at the look of it. The foyer reached as high as the roof with a huge glass chandelier hanging down from it. Curved staircases on both sides bracketed the entryway to the main room which was morphed into a large ballroom. The ballroom was decorated with purple curtains and bright white lights. There was a string quartet in the corner, playing music for the couples dancing. Waiters in white coats weaved through the crowds with trays of champagne and hors d'oeuvres.  
  
“Wow,” Merlin said. “This is way too posh for me.”  
  
Arthur smiled and pushed Merlin forward.  
  
They kept to themselves most of the time, and Arthur kept himself close to Merlin’s side, putting a hand on the small of his back or on his elbow, unknowingly sending Merlin’s pulse skyrocketing. They kept an eye out for Sophia or Cenred in the meantime. A few people came up to them to chat, but when they found out they weren’t anything special, they quickly moved on to someone else.  
  
It was half an hour later when Sophia entered the room on the arm of an older graying man who looked to be in his fifties, Herzog. She had her hair pulled back in a stylish bun and a flattering orange strapless dress that swept the floor. Sophia had definitely turned heads. Behind them was Cenred who had gotten out of his leather and put on a full black suit without a tie. The first few buttons of his shirt was undone to expose his neck and his hair was still tied back in a small ponytail.  
  
There were about two hundred and fifty people in the room at the moment, so Arthur and Merlin did their best to blend in with the crowd as long as they could to keep Sophia and Cenred from noticing them. They held champagne glasses in their hands to make it look like they were enjoying themselves, but didn’t drink or eat anything. They talked about inane things like current events and Merlin made fun of some of the outfits others were wearing to fill the silence between them.  
  
For most of the night, the two targets behaved. Sophia stayed attached to the man she was with and Cenred followed quietly behind like a bodyguard. Sophia played her part well as a sugary sweet, but dim gold digger.  
  
It wasn’t until the auction began an hour later did Sophia and Cenred slip off. The man Sophia was attending with was required to be at the front podium, allowing the other two to do what they needed.  
  
As most people moved off to a side room filled with rows a chairs and a stage, Sophia and Cenred wandered away from the flow of traffic and into a separate room. Arthur pulled Merlin along by the wrist and followed at a good distance.  
  
When they reached the closed door, Arthur took a quick look around to see that no one was really paying attention to them and were too busy trying to herd everyone into the other room. Arthur cautiously opened the door and peeked in.  
  
Inside was the sitting room, and it was empty. Arthur quietly slipped in with Merlin a step behind him. Arthur stepped further into the room and found a set of French doors leading to the patio deck that wrapped around the back half of the house. He carefully walked up to them, hearing Merlin behind him, and glanced though the windows to see the patio empty on the right side and rounding the corner. He moved to the other side of the doors and saw a small portion of the patio empty before it stopped at the railing.  
  
“Stay here,” Arthur quietly told Merlin. “I’ll call you if I need you.”  
  
Arthur didn’t wait for Merlin to agree before he gently opened the door and slid through the gap. He delicately closed the door behind him and strained his ears for any conversation. He could hear people talking to the right along the patio, around the back of the house, and quickly made his way along the small, white porch to the corner of the building.  
  
He pulled his gun from the holster around his ankle and held it to his right shoulder, pointing it upward. He pressed his back up against the bricks behind him and ducked his head around the corner, just a small part of his head leaving the cover of the building.  
  
Standing at the top of the stairs that led to the gardens and the Olympic sized pool were Sophia, Cenred, and a man Arthur recognized as Agravaine. Arthur couldn’t understand why Agravaine, of all people, would be associating themselves with the likes of Sophia and Cenred.  
  
“You’re sure he’ll be there?” Cenred asked in an overbearing tone.  
  
“I’m positive,” Agravaine reassured giving them a small smile. “Uther won’t question me when it comes to his precious security. He’ll leave the ball the minute he hears from me.”  
  
Arthur’s breathing stopped at the name of Uther, his father. It had been years since they last properly talked. Their last meeting ended up in a fight over Morgana and her magic, and Arthur hadn’t spoken to him since he stormed out of his office six years ago. Agravaine, at the time, was only an executive and Arthur had only seen him once or twice around the offices, but the slimy man had always stood out to Arthur; now he knew why.  
  
Suddenly, there was a presence by Arthur’s side, he was about to attack when the person spoke. “What’re they saying?”  
  
Arthur identified the voice as Merlin, but training took over and Arthur spun around, pinning Merlin against the wall with his chest, his right arm barring Merlin across his collarbone, and his left hand covering Merlin’s mouth. Arthur watched as Merlin’s eyes went wide and his breathing quickened. For a brief moment Arthur was stuck, feeling the warmth of Merlin’s torso pressed against him and his breath hitting the back of his hand. From here, he could see how clear the blues of his eyes were and practically feel the sharpness of his cheekbones beneath his fingers.  
  
Coming back to himself, Arthur’s face was inches from Merlin’s as he whispered, “I told you to stay inside.”  
  
Merlin’s shoulders drooped as he leveled Arthur with a look. Arthur favored ignoring him as he checked on their targets and thankfully still heard the other three still talking to one another. Turning to Merlin, Arthur dropped his hand and nodded back to the door they came in through.  
  
Moving back into the house and leaving through the main door was easy. They waited in silence in the chill of the night for the valet to return the car to them.  
  
After leaving the estate, Arthur stopped the car and checked the car for any bugs, forcing Merlin to get out of the car as well to check the passenger side of the car. After five minutes, Arthur was certain there were no devices and climbed back in the car.  
  
On the ride back to the hotel, the radio, once again, was turned off, which didn’t matter too much since Merlin ended up falling asleep with his head resting against the window. For some reason, for Arthur, it was nice to have Merlin next to him, even if he was sleeping the whole time. His presence pacified him, but at the same time, made him let his guard down. It was a terrifying feeling.  
  
Getting his mind away from those thoughts, Arthur quietly called K to update him on their recent findings, but left the parts of his father and Agravaine out of it, wanting to take care of it himself.  
  
An hour later, the pair was back at the hotel, riding the elevator up to the fifteenth floor where their room was. Merlin slouched against the mirrored wall, staring at the numbers as they changed from floor to floor. He was ready to curl up on the big fluffy bed and fall straight to sleep. Arthur was standing straight as always, staring ahead at the elevator doors, not showing any hint of fatigue.  
  
They quietly moved out of the elevator when it landed on their floor and headed to the left, toward their room. The hotel was laid out like a square missing one side and they were turning down one of the sides when they were cornered.  
  
Four men wearing slacks and button-ups with guns in their hands, two popping out of the emergency staircase three feet behind them and two down the hall where their room was, were waiting for them.  
  
Arthur was caught off guard, but not enough for his instincts to fail him. Merlin on the other hand froze.  
  
“Shield!” Arthur immediately cried to Merlin as the first gun was hoisted. Merlin sprung back at the sound of Arthur’s voice and instantly created a protective bubble around them. He concentrated on holding it as another sorcerer tried to break it down, but Merlin was putting layer upon layer of shields so that if one broke, there would be another five waiting.  
  
Arthur turned around and watched as the closest man fired his gun straight at Merlin. Arthur didn’t even flinch as the bullet stopped and fell a foot away from the barrel. He reached out for the outstretched hand of the enemy and pulled him into the barrier that Merlin created around them. He twisted the man’s hand hard so that the gun was pointed away from him and Merlin and back toward his friend. Arthur pulled the man to his chest and wrapped his hand around the other man’s. He pulled the trigger, hitting the second enemy in the chest twice, instantaneously killing him.  
  
Then he delivered a right hook to the man’s jaw, causing the man to spin around in Arthur’s arms. After the momentum stopped, the man fell. Before he hit the ground, Arthur took the man’s right arm that held the gun and slammed his knee into the elbow. A scream came from the man as his elbow broke from the impact, and the gun fell to the floor. As the man fully fell, Arthur delivered one last blow to his face, effectively knocking him out.  
  
Picking up the man’s gun, Arthur turned to see that Merlin was multitasking.  
  
Merlin was blocking the bullets and at the same time throwing the bullets straight back at them. The speed wasn’t the same and the accuracy wasn’t great, but it was effective, causing the two men to concentrate on firing and blocking at the same time.  
  
“Can you do one large blast of fire to set the sprinklers off?” Arthur asked, glancing at the emergency water sprinkler that was stationed between them and their opponents.  
  
Merlin didn’t even acknowledge Arthur before doing exactly what he asked. More heat than Arthur had ever felt blasted out from Merlin’s palms like a flamethrower, filling the space in front of them. The brightness of the fire made Arthur squint, and the heat made him take a step back.  
  
Seconds later the sprinklers went off, dosing the fire and wetting their suits, the alarm went off seconds after and was quickly halted with Merlin’s help. Immediately, Arthur grabbed the back of Merlin’s suit pulling him toward the staircase and through the door while the other men were distracted. Merlin stumbled after him, his eyes quickly passing over the two bodies that blocked their way. He tried to not look at their faces in hopes that they would never haunt him.  
  
Arthur turned back and delivered four quick shots, all four hitting their marks and ultimately killing the other two men while they were distracted.  
  
A surprise fifth man was waiting on the next level below. As soon as the pair slid to the top of the staircase, the man pulled his gun on them.  
  
Merlin acted on reflex. His arm pushed forward, sending his magic through the air to propel the man back, high against the wall. The man yelled as he bounced off the wall and tumbled forward, rolling down the stairs. Merlin watched in horror as the man continued to rapidly fall forward and out of sight. The sound of snap echoed in Merlin’s ears as the man fell silent.  
  
Before Arthur could grab him, Merlin bounded down half of the steps and looked over the railing to the lower landing, sprawled at the bottom of the stairs laid the man, his head turned too far to the right to be natural.  
  
Merlin made a sobbing noise and right away Arthur was at his side, twisting him around so that he was facing Arthur and the wall. Arthur didn’t know how to act upon Merlin’s reaction. He had never had to console someone for killing another, not even Morgana.  
  
“I killed him,” Merlin whispered as the notion set in. He brought a hand to cover his mouth as if it would stop his stomach from crawling out of his stomach from the image that was burned into his memory.  
  
A choked noise escaped his throat. “Oh, _God_ , Arthur. I killed him,” Merlin rasped out. “I did that.” His eyes were stinging as the sound of the man’s neck snapping played over and over in his head.  
  
Merlin started fidgeting, his arms swinging around widely as if he didn’t know what to do with them. Arthur placed his arms on Merlin shoulders to still him, but Merlin still kept squirming, whispering to himself over and over again. Arthur then forcefully held Merlin’s shoulders in place before rubbing his arms up and down Merlin’s biceps in a soothing motion.  
  
“Shh, it’s okay, Merlin. It’s going to be okay,” Arthur said softly.  
  
“No! No, it’s not! I don’t _kill_ people,” Merlin exclaimed as the first tear escaped his eyes.  
  
“Listen to me,” Arthur said in a firmer voice as he moved his hands to frame Merlin’s face and forced Merlin to look at him. His thumb wiped away the tear that fell across his cheek. “Merlin, listen. You’re going to be fine. It’ll all be okay. He was dangerous and he would kill you the first chance he got. It was all in self-defense. You’re okay. It’s going to be alright. You hear me?”  
  
Merlin nodded, but his bottom lip quivered, his breathing was rapid, and his eyes didn’t seem to focus on Arthur’s face.  
  
“Now, this is what you’re going to do,” Arthur gently continued. “You’re going to go up these stairs to the roof. Wait inside the door and _don’t_ go outside. If I find you outside I’m going to rip up all those stupid handkerchiefs that you have, okay? I’ll come get you soon. Don’t think about it. Think about Paris. Think of home and your friends and family. Okay?”  
  
Merlin shuddered in a breath and nodded shakily, his head moving in Arthur’s hands.  
  
“Good,” Arthur stated. “Now go.”  
  
After a tender push from Arthur, Merlin scrambled up the stairs on shaky legs and climbed to the roof five levels away.  
  
Sighing, Arthur picked up his phone and waited no longer than two rings before someone picked up.  
  
“Leon, I need a cleanup crew.”  
  
*  
  
An hour later, Arthur found Merlin huddled at the top of the stairs in front of the roof access door, his eyes puffy and red with dried tear tracks staining his cheeks. His long legs were folded up so that his knees were holding his head up. Arthur paused at the bottom of the stairs as Merlin stared down at him. His eyes were wide with a hint of fear in them.  
  
Arthur approached Merlin steadily, like Merlin was a deer about to sprint off at the first sign of danger. Carefully, Arthur fit himself into the space between Merlin and the wall, leaving their thighs pressed together.  
  
“How’re you doing?” Arthur asked carefully.  
  
Merlin shrugged in response.  
  
Arthur didn’t really know what to say in this situation. Merlin was different in the way he handled things. Arthur bottled things up until he was ready to explode, but Merlin expelled all his problems and emotions the moment they arrived, uncaring of the way people may react. He’d never had to deal with anything like it before.  
  
“When you first…” Merlin said hesitantly as he sniffed, his voice raspy from crying. “When you first killed someone, what happened?”  
  
Arthur awkwardly looked away from Merlin even though he wasn’t looking at him.  
  
“I wasn’t too much younger than you when I got my first assignment,” Arthur explained, not talking about the first time he had _really_ killed someone, but that’s what war was all about. So Arthur told Merlin about the first kill he made to become a 00 agent, someone he killed with his bare hands rather than a gun from a distance. “Honestly, I was a bit excited and scared and arrogant all at the same time. I thought it was going to be easy, you know? You just pull the trigger a few times and there you go, it’s done, but it wasn’t at all like that.”  
  
Arthur paused, taking a deep breath. He stared at the bottom steps as he felt Merlin’s gaze upon him.  
  
“When I went on the attack I was overpowered so easily. I thought that nothing could touch me and never even thought that something like that was going to happen…It was supposed to be a close range shot rearranged to look like a suicide. In the end, I had to kill him with my bare hands and do my best to clean the mess up afterward.  
  
“After all that, I threw up. Blood was everywhere, all over my clothes and rubbed into my skin. It was disgusting. So I ended up taking three showers in one night and drinking myself to sleep. I went on a three day bender after that. I’m more immune to it now, which most likely isn’t a very good thing, but it got easier to deal with over time.”  
  
Arthur stopped and wrung his hands together. He had never told anyone that story besides the people that he had to report to, but he never _willingly_ told someone. The story embarrassed him; it showed a weakness and weaknesses were never good.  
  
“I just think of it this way,” Arthur said after some silence. “If I don’t kill or apprehend these people, they’re a danger to others. They smuggle guns and drugs. They rob people stupid. They kill other people because they hold a grudge. They start wars…I have the chance to stop them, so I take it. Somebody has to do it.”  
  
Merlin chewed on his bottom lip and sniffed again before asking, “Why you?”  
  
Arthur sighed and rubbed the back of his neck. “At first I didn’t realize it, but I fit the profile they wanted. They needed someone skilled and fit and who had little to no ties, family and friends wise. I was young, smart, confident and sometimes cocky, I could lie my way out of prison and always felt like I had something to prove. I was very closed off from people and my emotions and they liked that. Not like I changed much in that sense, but I fit practically every one of their needs.”  
  
“That sounds harsh,” Merlin commented lightly.  
  
Arthur gave a humorless smile. “I didn’t think so at the time. Like I said, I was young and careless. Didn’t give a fuck about anything except being the best at what I was doing. They took that and molded me into this.”  
  
Merlin sniffed once more as he rubbed his eyes. “Do you miss your family? I mean, besides Morgana.”  
  
He shrugged loosely. “My grandparents are dead, my parents were only children, my mother died giving birth to me, and I haven’t talked to my father in six years, shortly after I joined MI6. Not much to miss, really,” Arthur admitted.  
  
“Is anything in your life not a sad sob story?” Merlin asked tiredly, his head tilting to the side.  
  
Arthur shook his head. “I don’t think so. Not yet, at least.”  
  
For a few seconds they just sat there smiling slightly at each other before Arthur coughed and turned away.  
  
“I got us a new room on the eighteenth floor and moved all our stuff already,” Arthur informed Merlin. Merlin nodded absently and took that as his cue to get up.  
  
The walk to the new room was slow, and Merlin was on edge, waiting for another ambush As if reading his mind, Arthur said, “We already swept the whole hotel, no one else is here, and we have detail on every entrance.”  
  
Merlin nodded in understanding and waited patiently as Arthur opened the door. The room was exactly the same as the other, down to the magazines spread across the glass coffee table.  
  
“Get some sleep,” Arthur told Merlin before squeezing his shoulder and moving away to his own room.  
  
Merlin followed his example and moved to his new bedroom. He mechanically went through the motions of getting ready for bed. He took a shower and stayed under the spray for an extra five minutes hoping that it would wash more away than just the dirt from his body. He didn’t pay attention as he brushed his teeth and didn’t know if he brushed the inside of his molars or not.  
  
When he collapsed onto his bed, his body relaxed, melting into the contours of the mattress. But as soon as his eyes closed, all he could see was the man that he killed at the bottom of the stairs. He tried to think of something else as he rolled over, but nothing was forthcoming.  
  
The room was large, silent, and empty; the bed was cold beneath him. He felt so alone.  
  
Hesitantly, before he knew what he was doing, Merlin slipped out of bed and out of his room. He took the necessary eight steps before he reached Arthur’s door, which still had the light on from what he could see from beneath the door. Merlin debated about how silly this was, but lightly knocked on the door anyway.  
  
Merlin heard some shuffling on the other side before Arthur opened the door. His hair was mussed and damp from his shower and his hands were tugging at the hem of his shirt as if he just put it on.  
  
“You okay?” Arthur asked.  
  
Merlin nodded automatically before stopping and shaking his head. “Actually, no, not really,” he replied truthfully. “Could I possibly…?”  
  
Even though he couldn’t get the full sentence out, Arthur knew what he was asking and opened the door for Merlin to pass through.  
  
“Thank you,” Merlin said as he made his way to the side of the bed.  
  
“Don’t worry about it,” Arthur responded honestly. He moved to the other side of the bed and pulled back the covers before climbing in. As Merlin stood there awkwardly, Arthur waved a hand to him to get him to get into the bed.  
  
When Merlin settled in after a few seconds of hesitating, Arthur reached over and turned off the light.  
  
Both of them lay awkwardly on their backs, Merlin because it wasn’t his bed and Arthur because he hadn’t shared a bed that didn’t start with sex for years.  
  
Merlin tried to close his eyes again, but again, he couldn’t get the image out of his mind. The room still felt too big and the sheets still too cold, even though he knew he just got in. Merlin turned his head to look over at Arthur who was staring at the ceiling.  
  
“Could I…um, lay with you?” Merlin whispered cautiously.  
  
Arthur turned his head and saw that Merlin still looked scared out of his wits. Automatically, Arthur nodded and extended his arm as he said, “Yeah, sure.”  
  
Merlin flashed him a small, brief smile before slowly moving closer and pressing his body against Arthur’s. He settled his head in the crook of Arthur’s neck and casually wrapped an arm around his waist. Arthur, wrapped his arm around Merlin’s back and finally Merlin felt better, safer.  
  
“Thanks,” Merlin muttered. “Sorry if I’m making you uncomfortable.”  
  
“No,” Arthur replied immediately. “You’re not at all. If you need anything just ask for it okay?”  
  
Merlin nodded, his hair brushing against the side of Arthur’s face.  
  
He closed his eyes and this time, only saw darkness.

*  
  
Merlin watched as Arthur tied his bowtie in the mirror, perched far enough on the bed so that only his feet were hanging off the edge. Arthur looked like he was going to a wedding, with a crisp white Oxford and a blood red cummerbund accentuating his waist.  
  
“I still don’t understand why I can’t go in with you,” Merlin said.  
  
“Because I need to do this myself,” Arthur replied sternly, making Merlin roll his eyes.  
  
After waking up late that morning and finding the bed empty beside him, Merlin left Arthur’s bedroom to see the man preparing toast and eggs for brunch, smiling gently at Merlin when his presence was noticed. The rest of the day was relaxing as they stayed in and watched comedic movies, avoiding the topic of yesterday as Merlin did his best to try and forget about it. For dinner they went out to eat at a pizza parlor and Merlin was starting to feel a bit better than he had before.  
  
It was when they arrived back at the hotel that Arthur laid the plan on him, a plan that Merlin vehemently disagreed with. Arthur was planning on going to another ball that night, this time without Merlin, saying that he was going to stop this whole thing (whatever this _thing_ was, Merlin didn’t know) before it started. Merlin was concerned because it meant Arthur wouldn’t have any magical defense, making him vulnerable.  
  
“It’s not a good idea,” Merlin countered as he got up off the bed, pulling along Arthur’s suit jacket from beside him.  
  
“I didn’t ask for your opinion.” Arthur turned to see that Merlin was holding the jacket open for him. After pausing for a second, Arthur turned back around and pulled his arms back for Merlin to slip the jacket up to rest softly upon his shoulders.  
  
Merlin smoothed out the imaginary wrinkles across Arthur’s shoulders and said quietly, “I just don’t like the idea of not being there is all.” His hands lingered briefly on Arthur’s shoulders before he dropped them and looked at Arthur through the mirror.  
  
Arthur was looking back at him with a somewhat soft expression flitting across his face. “I know,” Arthur sighed as he tugged on the lapels of his suits and buttoned it up. “I’ve been doing this long before you came along Merlin, I think I can handle this by myself for one night. And I have your number if things really get dire.”  
  
Merlin pursed his lips and nodded as Arthur ran a hand through his hair one last time.  
  
“Call me if anything happens,” Arthur said to Merlin he headed out of the bedroom, Merlin on his heels.  
  
Arthur stopped at the main door with his hand on the doorknob. “Stay out of trouble,” he sternly told Merlin. “Please.”  
  
Merlin gave him a sad sort of innocent smile which caused Arthur to shake his head before leaving, closing the door softly behind him.  
  
Merlin sighed, the noise seeming louder than usual now that he was alone. He looked around the room and tried to get rid of the feeling of melancholy that came over him now that Arthur had left. The whole day spent with Arthur was nice. It made him feel like they were friends at the very least, regardless of his growing feelings for the man. But there were times when Arthur was friendly and gave Merlin small, affectionate touches, before doing a complete one eighty going back to his standoffish behavior. It was confusing to say the least, but at least it had taken his mind off the man in the stairwell. But now, in the silence of the hotel room, he couldn’t help but to think of what had happened only a few levels below the day before and how defenseless Arthur was now that Merlin wasn’t around to protect him.  
  
Shaking his head, Merlin collapsed onto the couch and turned on the television, but barely paid any attention to it, his mind spinning with images of the dead man and Arthur ending up in the same position as him. The thought was terrifying. He was antsy, his fingers twitching and his legs shaking up and down with these thoughts. He couldn’t let that happen to Arthur, no matter how many times he told Merlin that he didn’t want Merlin there. What Arthur didn’t know, didn’t hurt him.  
  
An hour after Arthur, Merlin was exiting the hotel room.  
  
He paused on the sidewalk and looked in both directions, trying to figure out which direction Arthur would have gone in. Closing his eyes he tried to pinpoint where Arthur was using his magic. He had done this once before when Will’s dog had gone missing, but the dog was only a few streets over with no real place to go in such a small town. It was easier then, he knew the dog like he was his own, was in tuned to him. But Merlin had spent less time around Arthur, and London was such a large city, Merlin didn’t know where to start looking.  
  
Centering himself, Merlin closed his eyes and tapped into the magic deep within him, letting it spread outward across the city. He didn’t seem to need to worry since his magic knew exactly what to look for, singing _Arthur, Arthur, Arthur_ as it twirled around every person it came into contact with, wrapping around their waists and caressing their shoulders, looking for the right person as it scoured the streets and climbed the buildings.  
  
Finally, _finally_ , his magic found Arthur. It sung in triumph as swirled up his legs and around his body. He could feel Arthur stiffen at the touch of his magic, and feel him glance around looking for the source. Merlin reluctantly pulled back his magic, but left a marker in the room, so that he would know what direction to go in.  
  
Drawing his magic back, Merlin opened his eyes; he smiled, finally knowing where he was going. He tried to think of the fastest way of getting there. He didn’t know what building Arthur was in, so the tube and a taxi were out of the question. Walking would take too long, so that left one option.  
  
Merlin eyed the moped on the other side of the street, thinking that Arthur was terrible influence on him.  
  
*  
  
Arthur knew that no one recognized him. They had all forgotten what Uther Pendragon’s worthless excuse of a son had looked like, so Arthur had easily made his way through the crowds without being stopped.  
  
It was all too easy to take out the security blocking the kitchen door of the event hall. The cooks had barely batted an eyelash as Arthur walked through the kitchen, too worried about if the chicken was thoroughly cooked or not or if the potatoes were going to be finished on time. From there Arthur joined the event in the ballroom where tables surrounded a dance floor filled with important contacts, rich investors, and government officials.  
  
Pendragon Technologies was on the cusp of innovation and advancement, always trying to improve the business world with quicker modems and more user friendly interfaces. They even improved warfare technology.  
  
Uther had created the billion dollar company from nothing, and Arthur had turned it all down, just because he wanted to do something better with his life.  
  
Arthur had grown up raising himself with a nanny or two here and there before Morgana had come into the picture when her parents died. Morgana was six years older than him and was already in secondary school when she moved in. She looked out for him, trusted him enough to show him her magic, and even made sure to keep in touch when she went off to university. But that didn’t make life any better. He had still lived in an empty house and went to a public school where coming from new money was almost as bad as being on scholarship, no matter how good you were at football.  
  
Arthur grew up with a chip on his shoulder that still lay there when he got into Cambridge. By then his body had filled out and he was no longer seen as the loser on campus, but rather the opposite. He had become popular quickly, no matter how aloof he was and had girlfriend after girlfriend with the occasional dalliance with a bloke when he felt like it.  
  
He dropped out in the middle of sophomore year to join the Royal Navy, against his father’s wishes. There Arthur received the discipline and structure in life that he needed and quickly moved his way up through the ranks, trying to be the best officer he could be. Five years later, he was the given the opportunity to join MI6.  
  
It was after he joined that Arthur cut himself off from his father and fell in love with Gwen. It was a quick, whirlwind of a romance, but Arthur knew that his feelings for her were true, that it was the first time that he had ever felt anything for another person besides lust. They were only together for a year before Arthur’s lies and absences took a toll and Gwen met another man named Lance who treated her like a queen. Arthur had let her go, but not before the barriers around him became thicker and higher than they were before he ever met her.  
  
Arthur dedicated himself to his work, and love was a weakness that could be easily exploited. It was something Arthur could not risk (and he was foolish to try before), which was why he tried his best to distance himself from Merlin. Merlin was something Arthur had never thought of entertaining. Merlin was something that could be considered _home_ , someone that could weasel his way past his defenses with unfunny jokes and stay there; permanently.  
  
Merlin had a large heart that he wore on his sleeve and he didn’t like to put up with Arthur’s bluster, but pressed through it anyway just because he could. Merlin didn’t treat him any different than he would a friend; he insulted him, made fun of him, listened to him, and tried to understand him.  
  
Merlin could easily become his one weakness. Not only for love, but because he knew he would give this all up for Merlin if he asked.  
  
Shaking himself from his thoughts, Arthur made a sweep of the ballroom once again, keeping an eye out for his father and Agravaine, hoping that he could head off his father before anything bad could happen. He glanced at his watch to see that it was forty-five minutes after the event was supposed to begin, and his father hadn’t shown yet. Uther liked to make a grand entrance on occasions like these, but this was pushing the limit.  
  
Arthur froze slightly when he felt something light wrapping around him, not constricting, but soft and gentle. He glanced around to see if he could see any magic users or if anyone was looking at him, but found no one. As quickly as it arrived, the magic was gone and Arthur was left glancing around, paranoid that someone might be tracking him.  
  
Ten minutes later, when his father didn’t show up, Arthur knew that something was wrong. His father would never leave his guests waiting this long.  
  
He was on his way to leave the building when he felt his phone vibrate in his pocket. Fishing out his phone, Arthur saw the name _Morgana_ on the screen and immediately picked it up.  
  
“What’s going on?” he greeted as he brushed his way past others and up the short steps.  
  
“It’s Uther, she has Uther,” Morgana said shakily, worry evident in her voice.  
  
“Morgause?”  
  
“No, someone else. They’re at his office. I think she’s going to kill him,” she whispered unsteadily.  
  
Arthur’s blood raced with the information. Uther may have been a bad father, but he still was Arthur’s flesh and blood. A part of Arthur still wanted Uther to be proud of him, to focus on his accomplishments instead of his failures and treat him like his son, not like another employee.  
  
“Don’t worry Morgana, I’ll get to him,” Arthur reassured her as he raced outside of the building and stopped on the sidewalk.  
  
“You better,” Morgana said in a firmer voice. “Merlin should be there in a second. I can’t believe you left him at the hotel.”  
  
“How do you-?” Arthur started to ask before Merlin stopped in front of the building, on a moped, his blue handkerchief pulled over his nose. He pulled down the handkerchief to grin sheepishly at Arthur. “I’ll talk to you later, Morgana.”  
  
“I told you to stay at the hotel!” Arthur yelled after he put his phone away. “And where the hell did you get _that_ thing?”  
  
Merlin chuckled as he glanced at the green moped he was driving. “Uh, I borrowed it,” he grinned before rubbing his bare arms. He had forgotten to take a jacket in his haste to get to Arthur and his shirt didn’t have sleeves because he hated getting paint all over them.  
  
Arthur rolled his eyes before waving him over. “Come on, leave that pile of shit, we need to get somewhere.”  
  
*  
  
Arthur parked his Aston Martin a block over from his father’s building, but could clearly see Mordred and Cornelius standing guard at the entrance and taking turns walking around the building.  
  
“What’s the plan?” Merlin asked as his fingers drummed his knee in anticipation, his magic rippling across his skin.  
  
On the drive over, Arthur had reluctantly filled Merlin in on what was happening and why Arthur didn’t want to take Merlin to the ball in the first place. It had resulted in some scolding from Merlin, but the situation was so tense that neither had argued for very long.  
  
Arthur thought for a second, eyeing the fifteen story building. “You’ll go to the front and draw their attention, Cornelius and Mordred will for sure go after you. I’ll go around back and set up a rope to the roof, it’ll be the quickest way to my father’s office. Give me about three minutes, and as soon as you can get away, you find me.”  
  
Merlin nodded as Arthur swiftly got out of the car, he quickly followed his example and met him at the boot of the car. Arthur popped open the lid and lifted away the bottom to where the spare tire usually sat. In its place was an array of guns, bullets, knives, and other weapons Merlin couldn’t identify, making his eyes widen.  
  
Merlin watched as Arthur took off his suit jacket and tossed it into the boot; he untied his bowtie to let the ends lie loose and unbuttoned the top three buttons and his cuffs before reaching into the weaponry.  
  
Arthur grabbed a 9mm semi-automatic and tucked it into the cummerbund behind his back. He grabbed a folding knife and slipped it into the cummerbund just to the left of his bellybutton and grabbed a magazine of bullets and put it to the right. Lastly he grabbed a thick length of rope that was attached to a gun on one end that was a little larger than the handgun he had tucked away and picked up a set of harnesses that was hanging from the lid.  
  
Arthur closed both of the lids and turned to Merlin. Reaching forward with his free right hand, Arthur grasped Merlin’s wrist and squeezed it, making Merlin’s cheeks heat up in the small sign of intimacy. “Good luck,” Arthur said softly before darting off into the alleyway two buildings away from the building they wanted.  
  
Breathing in a shaky sigh, Merlin turned away from where Arthur disappeared and headed towards the building, his magic crackling at his fingertips.  
  
*  
  
Three minutes went by so fast.  
  
Merlin held his own against Mordred and Cornelius. They had two distinct styles. Mordred liked to use the elements to his disposal whereas Cornelius liked to bend objects to his will. Both were very intent on killing Merlin though. Merlin countered everything that they threw at him from wind, to concrete, to tree roots, to glass. Mordred had even screamed at one point, sending a pulse of sonic waves at Merlin, but Merlin hastily set up a barrier and a dampener to deflect it.  
  
When Merlin knew it was time, he put up a shield around himself and concentrated on gathering up all the magic that he could while Cornelius, again, threw sharpened glass at him. Like he did earlier, Merlin let his magic pour out of him and let it creep its way across the space between them. He told his magic what he wanted; he wanted them to freeze, he wanted them to stop moving long enough for him to get away. He felt his magic weave around their feet, holding them in place. He felt them struggle against it, using their own magic to try and get rid of it, but couldn’t as his magic inched its way up their bodies and froze them temporarily. Merlin knew it would only hold them for so long.  
  
Once he saw that Mordred and Cornelius were no longer moving, Merlin sprinted away around the building and to the back where Arthur was waiting.  
  
*  
  
Arthur worked fast, dropping the rope to the ground along with the gun and quickly pulling on  
a harness. The straps fitted around the tops of his thighs and around his waist, connecting over his butt and hips. Attached to the front of the harness was the connector to the gun, but that part wasn’t needed at the moment.  
  
Picking up the gun from the ground, Arthur aimed it up toward the roof, knowing he only had one shot at it. With a deep breath, Arthur steadied his arm and fired. A four pronged hook expanded as soon as it escaped the barrel and twirled as it flew through the air, the rope it was attached to quickly filtering through the gun.  
  
Arthur watched, heart in his throat, as the hook arched toward the roof, passing over the edge and resting somewhere that Arthur knew wasn’t the edge of the roof. Slowly, Arthur pulled carefully on the rope until it stopped, catching on the edge. Then Arthur tugged harder, making sure it could hold both his and Merlin’s weight.  
  
When he was satisfied, Arthur locked the rope in place in the barrel before taking off the handle of the gun and effectively cutting the rope, leaving only the barrel attached to the rope leading to the building, the extra rope laid on the ground beside him.  
  
Just after Arthur attached his harness to the end of the barrel, Merlin came running around the corner at full speed. Arthur quickly pulled the gun out of his cummerbund, ready to shoot at anyone who was following Merlin.  
  
“Alright?” Arthur called as Merlin barreled up to him, his face flushed from exertion. Arthur tossed the harness at him.  
  
Merlin grinned as he pulled on the harness panting, “We only have a couple seconds.”  
  
“Hurry up, then,” Arthur teased, trying not to watch as Merlin tightened the harness around his small waist and around the jeans that were already skin tight. He couldn’t help it when his eyes trailed to Merlin’s crotch that was highlighted with the harness and realized that his looked even worse with the flimsy fabric of his slacks compared to Merlin’s jeans.  
  
When Merlin was almost done tightening the straps, Arthur attached Merlin’s harness to the barrel, next to his.  
  
“Ready?” Arthur asked Merlin when he looked up. After Merlin nodded, Arthur spotted Cornelius and Mordred rounding the corner. “Good. ‘Cause we’ve got company. Brace yourself.”  
  
Before Merlin could turn around, Arthur pressed a button on the side of the barrel. They shot up into the air causing a cry from Merlin, their bodies crashed together, tangling their legs and their arms wrapping around one another. Merlin’s attachment was shorter than Arthur’s, so Arthur’s face planted into Merlin’s chest as Merlin’s groin pressed into Arthur’s.  
  
Merlin looked down at Arthur with wide eyes and a blush high on his cheeks as he removed his left arm that was gripping Arthur’s shoulder tightly and grabbed onto the rope with his other hand to keep himself upright. Arthur merely smiled up at him with a hint of pink staining his cheeks and kept his left arm wrapped tightly around Merlin’s thin waist, making Merlin’s pulse skyrocket. Arthur leaned back so that Merlin’s right knee was resting below his arm and with his right arm, Arthur pointed his gun down at Mordred and Cornelius below them.  
  
Arthur fired a few shots, but it was useless against Mordred who simply threw up a shield to protect them. He thought it could distract them for a bit at least.  
  
From the distance, Merlin saw something flying toward them; it wasn’t any larger than pony, but it was a stone gray color, moving fast and growling. It wasn’t until it got closer that Merlin figured out what it was. It was a gargoyle. Glancing down, Merlin saw Cornelius stretching his arm out, commanding the gargoyle to his will. Sighing, Merlin threw his magic at the stone, hoping to break it.  
  
The gargoyle dodged his blasts of power. In order to avoid one of Merlin’s projectiles, the gargoyle flew past them only to turn around and head towards them again. Merlin twisted in his harness and tried to predict the gargoyles’ movements. When Merlin shot to the left, the gargoyle moved down, when he shot down it moved up. Seeing this, Merlin shot bursts of power in quick succession, aiming for where the gargoyle was and where it was going. On his second try, Merlin got a hit, breaking the gargoyle apart and making it shatter into small pieces.  
  
It was only a matter of seconds later before their ascent come to an abrupt halt at the edge of the roof. Both of them quickly pulled themselves over the concrete ledge and onto the roof.  
  
“That was…interesting,” Merlin breathed as he started to take off the harness.  
  
Arthur threw Merlin a scandalized look. “Was that a fucking gargoyle?”  
  
Merlin raised his eyebrows and nodded.  
  
“I will never understand Cornelius. Never,” Arthur muttered as he dropped the harness to the ground.  
  
They swiftly made their way to the door and Merlin tried to unlock it with a wave of his hand, but it didn’t budge.  
  
Arthur sighed and eyed the keypad with a right light sitting next to the doorknob. “Magic proof locks. Clever,” Arthur said before punching in a series of eight numbers, numbers that Arthur thought would be the code. The keypad beeped with a green light and the door unlocked.  
  
“You knew the code?” Merlin asked, his hand signaling to the keypad.  
  
Arthur shrugged. “It’s my mother’s birthday along with their wedding day.”  
  
“Oh,” Merlin said eloquently as Arthur opened the door and they both quietly made their way down the darkened stairwell.  
  
Arthur opened the first door they came across, that let out up to the long, wide hallway with offices and conference rooms lining both sides of the hallway. It was dark in the building, but at the far end, where his father’s office sat, there was a light on inside that shone through the shades and under the door.  
  
Carefully, Arthur slipped into the hallway, his gun faced upward, ready to be pointed and fired. Behind him, Merlin stepped onto the carpet and softly closed the door behind him.  
  
Arthur looked over at Merlin and nodded toward the door at the end of the hall. Merlin nodded back at him in understanding. Step by step, they made their way toward the office, their eyes looking into every room they passed by for movement.  
  
Seconds later they were a few feet from the door, in the extra open space where two desks sat opposite one another on both sides of the hallway for both of Uther’s secretaries. Arthur didn’t know why his father needed two, but he figured his father thought he was so important and busy enough that he warranted two.  
  
As they approached the door, Arthur raised his gun, ready for any sort of attack. Arthur and Merlin shared one last look before Arthur twisted the door handle and pushed the door open.  
  
The light from the office spilled out into the hallway. Inside sat Uther in his high backed chair behind his large wooden desk. His forehead was covered in a sheen of sweat and his breathing was shallow. His expression was a mixture of anger and fear as he looked at his son for the first time in years. Beside him, resting a hand on top of his chair, stood a woman in a long maroon dress that Arthur had never seen before. She was beautiful, with long brown hair, wide blue eyes, and ruby red lips. The woman wore a sinister smile though, as her eyes rested on Arthur and Merlin standing in the doorway.  
  
“Come on in, lads,” she said patronizingly. “I’ve been waiting.”  
  
Unhurriedly, Arthur and Merlin stepped into the room, both of their pulses beating fast beneath their skin.  
  
As soon as they made it into the office, the door swung close behind them. Arthur turned to see Morgause standing there, twirling a silver goblet in her hands. Merlin followed his line of sight to see that they were surrounded by sorceresses.  
  
“Who are you and what do you want?” Arthur demanded after he faced back to the unknown assailant.  
  
“Why am I not surprised that you don’t know about me?” the woman asked rhetorically, as she moved around the back of Uther, her fingers running through the short gray hairs of the seated man. Uther closed his eyes in disgust. “My name’s Nimueh. And thanks to me, I’m the reason you’re alive young Pendragon.”  
  
Arthur still had a steady hand on his gun that was pointed at Nimueh, but was frozen when she started talking about him.  
  
“Arthur-” his father breathed.  
  
“Shut up!” Nimueh yelled and with a simple gesture, Uther’s mouth snapped shut.  
  
“You still haven’t said why you’re here,” Merlin supplied when he noticed Arthur’s silence.  
  
Nimueh’s cocky smile fell as she stepped out from behind the desk and her expression turned angry. “Ever since your father blamed me for your mother’s death, Arthur, a death that he _knew_ was going to occur, he’s been hunting me down, killing every sorcerer that stood in his way. I would have been fine with that, of course, but unfortunately, your father recently submitted a proposal to the government and also commissioned these.”  
  
Picking up a file from the desk, Nimueh handed it over to Arthur who stared Nimueh down and gradually took it. Inside was a series of designs and descriptions of a collar. A _magical suppressant_ collar. A sorcerer would wear the collar around their neck and it would neutralize any sort of magic from happening, sort of like what was wired into the keypads. He felt sickened when he imagined Morgana and Merlin wearing one around their necks.  
  
“Your father would have every sorcerer in the country identified and collared. Like _dogs_. And I don’t know about your sister or your friend here,” Nimueh said scathingly, pointing to Merlin, “but I don’t like being anyone’s bitch. It’s time that sorcerers were given the respect and power we were once praised for. So the stand starts here, with your father.”  
  
Nimueh smiled again and stepped closer to Arthur as he closed the file. She took it from his hand and tossed it back onto the desk. She stood so close that Arthur’s gun was pressed at her throat. Arthur’s breathing was shaky from the plans his father made, the news of his mother, and all the lies he’d been told about her.  
  
“I’m going to show him how dangerous we really can be. I’m going to kill you while your father watches and then I’ll make sure that he’ll never think of anything other than you and your mother’s deaths for the rest of his life.”  
  
Nimueh laughed as she took a step back. Before she could take another step, Arthur finally fired his gun. Like with Merlin, the bullet stopped halfway there before dropping to the ground.  
  
“Now that’s not nice, is it, Arthur?” she fake pouted.  
  
“What’s Morgause have to do with all this?” Merlin asked softly as he watched the blond woman lean against the desk.  
  
Nimueh smiled. “Merlin, is it?”  
  
Merlin nodded jerkily.  
  
“You’re a special one, aren’t you?” she said, sighing as she sat on top of the desk, crossing her legs elegantly. “Morgause wanted the Cup of Life, which Uther had in his safe over there and I wanted Uther dead. What better way than to join up to get what we both wanted? She gets me in here with Sophia’s information and Agravaine’s help, I kill Uther and prevent his asinine plans from going through, and then we take over England. We haven’t got much further than that, but the planning to take over Europe might be fun. If you’d like, Merlin, I’d give you France. I hear Paris is great this time of year.”  
  
After glancing over to the open safe on the right side of the room, Merlin turned his attention back over to the women. “If you wanted to kill Arthur so badly, why did you send those sorcerers after us?”  
  
“Those were for you, silly,” Nimueh smiled. “Mordred and Cornelius were there to play around with Morgana, but I’m sure they had much more fun with you. The ones at the hotel were supposed to kill you, but you know the saying, if you want something done, you have to do it yourself.”  
  
Nimueh slipped off the desk and stood in front of them grinning. “I think the time for talking is over now, don’t you think?”  
  
In the next second, Arthur and Merlin were pushed back against the wall, the door handle digging awkwardly into Arthur’s back and the hinges of the door digging into Merlin’s.  
  
“We’ll start with Merlin first shall we?” Nimueh asked rhetorically with her arm raised. “He won’t be as much fun to break.”  
  
And then there was pressure building up around Merlin’s neck, squeezing, cutting off his air supply. He was choking.  
  
“Merlin!” Arthur shouted. Arthur tried all he could to get out restraints put on him, but he couldn’t move. All he could see was Merlin choking, dying, and he couldn’t help him; he was helpless.  
  
Merlin fought as hard as he could against the magic. He concentrated on using his own, wrapping it around the vice around his neck, and like the shields, trying to find the weak spots, the tiny holes that may appear. His magic found the holes and weaknesses, filling them up fast and yanking the magic away from his neck before quickly doing the same to the magic holding him against the wall.  
  
He fell to the floor gasping and coughing, his vision blurry. He barely noticed when his magic did the same for Arthur, letting him go of the restraints that held him. Instantly, Arthur raised his gun as he fell to his knees beside Merlin. With his left hand, he squeezed Merlin’s shoulder, reassuring himself that Merlin was going to be alright.  
  
“Impressive,” Nimueh muttered, moving forward.  
  
Suddenly, Nimueh was swept from her feet as Merlin pulled her legs out from under her and pinned her against the floor, fury in his gold eyes. Breathing heavily, Merlin stopped Morgause before she could take a step toward them, pinning her against the far wall, using the same kind of magic that he used on Mordred and Cornelius, rendering her immobile.  
  
“Morgause, Arthur,” Merlin whispered, closing his eyes, indirectly asking Arthur to kill her while he held her back. He didn’t want to see it happen.  
  
Arthur nodded once, and quickly fired twice at Morgause, both bullets lodging in her skull. Merlin let go of her the moment he felt her stop fighting back against his magic, and heard her slump to the floor.  
  
Opening his eyes, he avoided the bright red spot on the wall and focused on Nimueh who was quickly getting up off the ground, anger pouring out of her.  
  
Next thing he knew, Nimueh was throwing orbs of light at them. Merlin deflected every one of them, pushing them off to the side, making furniture explode as they collided. He shakily stood back up with Arthur’s help, gripping Merlin by the armpit and hauling him up close. Arthur wrapped his arm around his waist and lifted Merlin’s arm around his shoulders.  
  
Spying the electric strip cord behind Nimueh, hiding below Uther’s desk where he still sat as still as a statue, Merlin focused on the electricity running through the wires. He focused on quickly gathering the energy before pulling it out of the sockets.  
  
By the time Nimueh noticed what Merlin was doing, it was too late. She turned to see streams of electricity wrapping around her and shocking her system, causing her to scream and her skin to burn. It was only seconds later that Merlin pulled away the electricity and forced it back down into the sockets.  
  
Nimueh’s body fell heavily to the floor, the sound echoing in the now quiet room. Merlin knew that there was a chance that it would kill her, a small part of him wanted her dead for wanting Arthur dead, but another naïve part of him wanted her to still be alive. Merlin didn’t want to become a killer and become reckless with his powers. He didn’t want to turn out like Nimueh and Morgause, searching for all the power and glory that he could find. Merlin was fine living from paycheck to paycheck and doing the things he loved even though there were little benefits. He didn’t want to have to kill people for that to happen.  
  
Uther was no longer held back in his chair, but still sat there wide eyed, breathing quickly, and looking like he was on the verge of a heart attack. His blue eyes stared at his son and Merlin like they were foreign.  
  
Arthur squeezed Merlin around the waist as he looked at him. Merlin’s eyes were trained to Nimueh’s dead body. “Hey,” he whispered. “Merlin, come on. Look at me.” Merlin slowly turned his head toward Arthur, his eyes unfocused. Arthur tucked his gun away, back into the cummerbund and caressed Merlin’s cheek with his freed hand. “Thank you. You did good, Merlin.”  
  
Merlin nodded mutely and Arthur gave him a grim smile, thanking whomever that Merlin wasn’t crying this time around. “Come on,” Arthur whispered and pulled open the door, dragging Merlin out of the office. Arthur sat him down gently in one of the secretary’s chairs. “Stay here, I’ll be right back.”  
  
Again, Merlin nodded and Arthur placed a light touch to the crown of Merlin’s head before turning and heading back into the office.  
  
Arthur paused before his father, whose eyes were shining, and clenched his jaw. “Are you okay?” Arthur managed to ask.  
  
Uther opened his mouth, but nothing came out. He nodded unevenly instead. “I-I’m so sorry, Arthur,” the man murmured, his voice breaking in several parts of the sentence.  
  
Arthur took a deep breath, feeling his throat constrict. “Was what she said true?” Arthur gritted out.  
  
When Uther answered, he seemed to look past Arthur saying, “She…Your mother had a hard time getting pregnant, and none of the fertility treatments were working. So I went to Nimueh for help. She was Ygraine’s longest friend and I thought I could trust her; Ygraine loved her. Nimueh tried to warn me of the consequences, that she didn’t want to do it, but your mother and I begged her; I wanted your mother to be happy…I thought it would be me. I thought it would be my life that would be taken, I told her to take mine, but she told me that the magic took whoever it wanted to take and that there was no way to control it. I was – I was so angry with her, with everyone…Magic is evil, Arthur, and I will never forget what it took away from me.”  
  
Arthur’s eyes were shining with tears. He tried to swallow them back, but the thought that his mother willingly knew what might happen if she became pregnant made him angry and sad. Angry that she would risk death just to have him. Angry at his father for lying to him all this time.  
  
Arthur wiped at the corner of his eyes with his fingers and nodded resolutely. “I’ll have someone come by and clean this up and take you home,” Arthur said coldly and turned away from his father.  
  
“Arthur,” Uther said brokenly, making Arthur pause in the doorway. “I’m so sorry.”  
  
Arthur didn’t answer as he left the office. He walked over to Merlin who stood up and immediately pulled him into a hug, surprising Arthur, but letting him know that he heard every word that his father said. Arthur wrapped his arms around Merlin’s waist and buried his face into the other man’s shoulder, breathing in his scent and finding comfort in the familiarity of it.  
  
*  
  
The calls had been made and the office was being cleaned up. Outside the building, Mordred and Cornelius had run off earlier, knowing that Arthur and Merlin escaping them was going to get them into trouble.  
  
The men were quiet for the rest of the journey back, just listening to the sounds of the tires against the pavement. Merlin was happy to see the hotel loom into view and couldn’t wait to make it back inside.  
  
Merlin smiled tiredly when they stepped into the hotel room, feeling safer now that they were in familiar territory. Their task was over and Merlin could finally relax a bit.  
  
After slipping off his shoes, Merlin turned around to see Arthur slumped against the door, staring at the floor. Merlin approached him haltingly. His hands wrapped around Arthur’s clamped fists and gently pried them open, clasping their hands together. Arthur looked up at Merlin, the pain obvious in his eyes and posture. Merlin shuffled closer and leaned his forehead against Arthur’s.  
  
They closed their eyes as Merlin rubbed circles on the back of Arthur’s hands in a calming manner and breathed in each other’s air.  
  
“I’m sorry,” Merlin whispered. “Your father should have told you.” The part that Uther killed sorcerers, people like him and his daughter, and was going to collar them was something that was left unsaid.  
  
“I know,” Arthur rasped.  
  
Sighing, Merlin let go of Arthur hands and used them to tilt Arthur’s face up. Merlin, heart in his throat, inched his face forward and lightly brushed his lips against Arthur’s. He pulled back marginally only to feel Arthur’s hands place themselves on his waist and pull him back.  
  
Their lips met in the middle this time, taking comfort with one another from the horrors of the night, and for Merlin, the past few days. The kiss started off slow, getting the feel of one another, before it sped up, tongues sliding over one another and teeth nipping at lips. Merlin melted into the kiss as a shiver ran down his spine.  
  
This was more than comfort; it was something that had been building up between them ever since Arthur had stepped into the café. Something that didn’t have a chance to manifest until now.  
  
Arthur pulled Merlin so that he was resting against his chest and their hips were pressed together creating friction. Their hands explored each other’s bodies, Merlin’s trailing over Arthur’s neck and shoulders and Arthur’s sprawling over the expanse of Merlin’s back. Arthur palmed the curve of Merlin’s ass, making him cant his hips forward, pressing their erections together and causing them to moan.  
  
Merlin pulled away and started placing kisses down the side of Arthur’s neck all the way down to the collarbone. He sucked and bit lightly at the skin, knowing that there would be marks there in the morning, wanting them there. They thrust their hips together, relief rippling through their bodies, but needing more of it.  
  
Pushing away from the door, Arthur pulled Merlin into his bedroom and started undressing. Merlin quickly followed his lead before being pushed down naked on the bed. Arthur straddled his hips, aligning their cocks and grinding them together.  
  
“Fuck, Arthur,” Merlin breathed as hips jerked to meet Arthur’s, feeling their heated skin drag across one another, his arms wrapping themselves around Arthur’s shoulders.  
  
Arthur reined kisses down Merlin’s bare chest, sucking on his pink nipples and biting them until they were red and Merlin was squirming. He made his way back up the expanse of pale skin, taking the time to make marks on the side of Merlin’s neck.  
  
“I want-,” Arthur panted as he pushed their erections together again. “I wanna fuck you. Will you let me, Merlin?”  
  
Merlin frantically nodded. “I don’t have anything,” Merlin pointed out before cursing with a roll of their hips.  
  
“I’m clean,” Arthur replied shakily pulling back enough so that he could see Merlin’s face better.  
  
“Me too,” Merlin immediately replied, fully trusting Arthur.  
  
Arthur smiled crookedly at Merlin before moving down the bed and tapping Merlin’s legs. Merlin opened his legs, blushing hotly that now Arthur could see all of him.  
  
“Beautiful,” Arthur breathed. He leaned down slowly and licked a broad stripe up Merlin’s cock before lifting it to his mouth. Arthur rested it against is bottom lip as his tongue danced around the slit and teased the underside of the head.  
  
Merlin watched Arthur with wide eyes, his breathing heavy and tried his best to prevent his hips from snapping upward toward the heat of Arthur’s mouth. He moaned when all of a sudden Arthur thrust two of his fingers into Merlin’s mouth and at the same time wrapped his mouth around the head of his prick. Merlin made sure Arthur’s fingers were soaked with his spit as he sucked on the digits and swirled his tongue around them.  
  
When his fingers were wet enough, Arthur removed his fingers and pulled off of Merlin, Merlin whining slightly at the loss of stimulation. Arthur lightly brushed his finger over Merlin’s pink hole, making the other man jump slightly. Arthur rubbed Merlin’s thigh with his free hand as his finger did the same to Merlin’s entrance. When he felt that Merlin was ready, Arthur pushed in slowly, making Merlin sigh at the familiar burn.  
  
Arthur opened Merlin up gradually, adding and spitting on his fingers when he needed it. His fingers avoided Merlin’s prostate, wanting Merlin to last as long as he could. Arthur knew Merlin was ready when his hips started pumping along with his fingers, wanting them deeper.  
  
He pulled his fingers out and wiped them against the sheets before falling onto the bed next to Merlin.  
  
“Come here.” He gently tugged on Merlin’s arm and gestured to his cock that was leaking against his stomach. The small noises Merlin made combined with the tightness of Merlin’s body around his fingers had kept him aroused.  
  
Merlin immediately leaned over Arthur. He kissed down the length of Arthur’s cock, breathing in the smell of the other man. Not wanting to prolong it longer than needed, Merlin took Arthur’s cock into his mouth and he felt Arthur’s fingers lightly grip his hair. Merlin moaned around Arthur and focused more on getting Arthur wet that anything else as he bobbed his head. He slid his tongue around the tip, licking up the precome and pushing at the foreskin. Merlin pulled off and jerked his hand up and down Arthur’s cock, pressing his thumb to the slit and pushing his saliva down so that his spit was covering every part of Arthur’s length.  
  
Sitting up, Arthur pushed Merlin back down so that he was laying on his front, his erection trapped between his stomach and the sheets. Arthur settled behind Merlin and spread the skinnier man’s legs further apart. Arthur pressed his cock to Merlin’s opening, slowly pushing in.  
  
Merlin breathed heavily through the burn of Arthur entering him. It had been a while for him and with spit as the only lubricant only helped as certain amount, but he wanted this so badly; wanted it so badly with Arthur.  
  
Arthur kissed Merlin’s shoulders and the back of his neck. He licked the shell of Merlin’s ear and nipped at the skin behind it. His free hand skimmed the slighter man’s back and sides before resting next to Merlin’s fist that clasped the sheets. Boldly, Arthur unraveled Merlin’s hand and twined their fingers together.  
  
“Shit,” Merlin muttered when he felt Arthur’s thighs and balls resting against him, waiting for Merlin’s signal to keep going. The feel of Arthur in him, bare, the heat and the feeling of his skin dragging across his insides rather than rubber was incredible.  
  
When Merlin was ready and the burn had receded partially, he slowly moved his hips forward.  
  
Arthur caught on and leisurely rolled his hips so that they were rocking together, letting the pleasure build up slowly. They stayed like that for a while, just rolling their hips, Arthur’s cock brushing against Merlin’s spot on every push.  
  
Merlin turned his head and kissed the side of Arthur’s forehead, causing the man to capture Merlin’s lips in a messy kiss.  
  
Merlin pulled back. “Faster, Arthur. Please.”  
  
Arthur’s breath hitched as he nodded and sweat slipped down his forehead. Adjusting his arms (regrettably letting go to Merlin’s hand) and legs, Arthur pumped his hips faster, his balls rhythmically slapping against Merlin’s ass, until Merlin was rubbing down against the sheets and moaning low in his throat.  
  
“Oh, fuck, Merlin,” Arthur moaned against the other man’s neck. “You feel so good.”  
  
Arthur paused and pulled out. He flipped Merlin over so that he now lay on his back. Arthur pushed back into Merlin quickly and continued to rock his hips at a rapid pace. Merlin’s face was flushed and his messy hair was flying away from his face. He was stunning, and it made Arthur lean forward so that he could kiss Merlin again and never want to stop. Merlin groaned into the kiss as his fingernails made marks on Arthur’s back.  
  
Merlin wrapped his legs around Arthur’s waist, his heels digging into Arthur’s lower back. Arthur’s rhythm didn’t let up, his thrusts hitting Merlin’s prostate on every stroke and Arthur’s stomach rubbing against Merlin’s erection. The sound of skin hitting skin resounded through the room along with their heavy breathing and occasional babblings.  
  
The pleasure was overwhelming, and Merlin could feel his orgasm start to rush over him.  
  
“Arthur – oh-fucking – I’m gonna come,” Merlin gasped.  
  
In response, Arthur spit into his palm and grabbed onto Merlin’s length that was leaking heavily between them. He pumped him quickly and said, “Come for me, Merlin. Come on, love.”  
  
“ _Arthur_ ,” Merlin groaned. With his balls drawn up tight to his body, Merlin climaxed, body arching off the bed, ropes of come landing on his chest and ecstasy flowing through him.  
  
“Fuck, Merlin,” Arthur whispered as Merlin’s hole tightened around him and he watched Merlin fall apart below him.  
  
“I want you to come in me,” Merlin mumbled right after the last drop of come escaped him and Arthur continued to fuck him.  
  
“ _Shit_. God, Merlin,” Arthur moaned as Merlin’s words sent him over the edge, spilling his load into Merlin’s body, his hips still jerking as the high of his orgasm started to fade.  
  
Boneless, Arthur collapsed on top of Merlin. Merlin didn’t seem to mind the weight as he ran his fingers through Arthur’s hair and kept his legs wrapped tight around Arthur’s body.  
  
When Arthur’s cock softened, he gently pulled out, causing Merlin to wince at the sting. Arthur pulled down the covers of the bed and rolled over to lie beside Merlin. They fell asleep quickly, wrapped around in each other.  
  
*  
  
Merlin wished he could say that he was surprised when he woke up alone in the hotel the next morning, Arthur’s belongings missing as well as his blue handkerchief. But he really should have seen it coming; he was going home that evening after all.  
  
*  
  
 _Two Months Later_  
  
Merlin put down his color pencil after he heard the knock at the door. It was his only day off from work, and Merlin liked to spend it doing things that he never got time to because he was usually so tired after working. He hadn’t been able to draw in a while, and decided that today was time to take it up again.  
  
Sighing, Merlin got up from his spot on the couch and made his way to the door. He wasn’t expecting to see the person waiting on the other side.  
  
“Hi,” Arthur said sheepishly, his fingers jerking in the uncomfortable situation.  
  
Arthur didn’t look much different from what Merlin remembered. He still had the same haircut and same business like clothes.  
  
“Hi,” Merlin finally responded after a beat of silence. He could feel Arthur’s eyes taking him in, knowing that he hadn’t changed in the short time period either, except that he had forgotten to get his hair cut two weeks ago and he hadn’t shaved in two days.  
  
“I missed you,” Arthur blurted, his eyes wide like he didn’t mean to say that. “I missed you a lot.”  
  
When Merlin did nothing else, but stare at Arthur, the man continued saying, “I quit or retired or whatever. I got transferred, so no more missions, just the boring job of training others.”  
  
Merlin nodded like he knew what Arthur meant, but really didn’t.  
  
“And I’m sorry…I’m sorry that I left you like that,” Arthur admitted wholeheartedly. “It was cowardly and wrong, because I really like you and I never wanted to do something like that to you.”  
  
Merlin watched Arthur closely, finding that Arthur’s words were true and genuine. Truthfully, Merlin had forgiven him long ago. For as little as Merlin had known him, Merlin knew that Arthur did not love easily. Sure he was selfless and did what he thought best for everyone, but that never pertained to him and his happiness. Arthur would give all that up if it meant something good for others. So facing his feelings, Merlin knew, would be hard to do. It would take more courage to be greedy and take what made him happy than risk his life for little more than a paycheck and little acknowledgment.  
  
“Apology accepted,” Merlin replied quietly and before he could chicken out, he stepped back from the door. “Do you want to come in?”  
  
Arthur flashed Merlin a small smile of surprise as he nodded happily. “Yes, thank you.”  
  
And as he stepped through the threshold of the door, Arthur thought that this whole love and domesticate thing wouldn’t be so bad after all.


End file.
